The Lost Tribes: Western Tribes
by LilAngelLady21
Summary: *AU* Old Enemies of the Dog Demon tribe return seeking much more than just the kingdom of the West after discovering its ruler is deceased. Will Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru choose to help their tribe or hold an eternal grudge?
1. Chapter 1

_***AU * * Spoilers Alert! ***_

Instead of disappearing the Shikon no Tama is shattered again sending our heroes off in a Naraku free search for its pieces. Little do they know that Inuyasha's Father has still more secrets yet to be revealed. When his most powerful foe awakes after hundreds of year, she's out for the blood of the Dog Demon Matriarch in a bid for invulnerability! Not only that, she wants to use the Shikon no Tama to get it! Will Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha choose to help their tribe or hold a grudge till the death?

_**The Lost Tribes:**_

_**The Western Tribes**_

_**Chapter One: Lost to Time**_

It was a blistering hot day and the sun's glow was bright overhead. The path that Sesshoumaru and his unlikely duo followed was dusty and the gentle breeze made this all the more obvious. It wasn't frequented so the top layer was loose and easily disturbed. Any sane being avoided it because of the demons crawling the nearby forests like locusts. Sesshoumaru had no fear of these lesser beings. His mere presence alone was enough to send them writhing away long before he came into view. The day had been completely uneventful as they often were, but something ahead made the Demon Lord uneasy.

After several more minutes of uneasy walking the Daiyoukai stopped abruptly. They had come upon a small cave clearly shrouded by some kind of barrier. The barrier was demonic in nature and seemed oddly placed to say the least. "Jakken... Take Rin and wait for me at the main road." The Demon Lord ordered not letting on that the energy of the barrier felt familiar.

"Milord! If there's danger about I am invaluable help!" The toad protested raising his staff up in a gesture of his strength.

"Jakken..."

"Yes Milord?"

"Go..." Jakken looked as though he would protest again but quickly decided against it. Instead he took Aun's reigns and lead the two-headed beast away.

"See you soon Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin chirped as she turned and followed after her companion. When they were aways down the path the Daiyoukai turned his attention back to the barrier.

"What do you have hiding in here... Father?" He wonder stoically as he placed his hand on the barrier. The power of the barrier had waned considerably and was clearly doomed to fail soon. Whatever was hiding here had been there for quite sometime then which only strengthened the curiosity and suspicion Sesshoumaru now held. Given that, the Demon Lord saw no reason not to help it along with a swift punch. As the barrier shattered the least expected of things fell out of the cave. A human girl, bloodied and near death slumped into his arms.

"Daiyoukai... dono... Please forgive me... I..." She muttered before growing still.

"Why would my Father entomb a human girl here of all places in this state?" The Deom Lord was clearly puzzled but didn't let it get him for very long. He knew that the smell of blood would be too much for even the brightest of demons to resist and soon they would be drawn to it. He had no desire to waste his time with petty battles so he lifted the girl up and began making his way down the path. If she lived he would interrogate her about her worth to his Father. If she perished he was at no loss so he couldn't see the harm in it.

Several days passed and Sesshoumaru was impressed by the speed with which the girl recovered. By the morning of the fourth day her eyes slowly pried open. She flew straight up and looked around wildly though she seemed blind to everything around her. "Daiyoukai-dono!!!" She screamed at the trees desperately. When she gained no immediate response she scrambled to her feet and took off running in a desperate bid to find her master. She hadn't fully recovered so her wobbly legs gave her little in the way of agility or speed. This didn't deter her in the least she still pushed on bare foot in the rocky terrain of the woods.

Sesshoumaru heard the girl scream from his lounging spot by a nearby stream. It wasn't hard for him to pick up on her scent and catch up to her. He swooped down and grabbed her, pulling her to a stop. "Let me go! I have to help my Master! He'll kill you! He's the great Daiyoukai of the West!" She screeched in a fit of tears as she struggled to break free of the firm grasp that now held her. "Daiyoukai-dono!" The callous Demon Lord pushed the girl down to her knees. With one hand on her head he moved next to her and looked off into the forest barely acknowledging her presence.

"If you truly seek to serve the Daiyoukai of the west... then I am you Master now..." His voice was cold as ice as he peered down at the wretched girl.

"How long? If you really are Sesshoumaru-dono... How long have I been in there..." The girl uttered completely lost in her own overwhelming confusion as she stared off blankly into the forest. Just as the Daiyoukai was about to leave the clearly useless human behind she muttered something that caught him off guard. "Kill me..." He stopped and turned back to her with a cocked eyebrow. "My life is the only thing I have to offer you as payment for my failure..."

"Failure?" Sesshoumaru wondered curiously though his voice reflected no such notion.

"You Father only asked one thing from me as payment for his care and kindness. Heal his wounds and keep him well until I was unable to stay by his side..." Her voice broke and she tried to contain her tears the now flowed from her eyes like a spring of sorrow. "And he died before I did... I failed him so completely I can not... I do not deserve to live."

"How a healer like you would be of any use to my Father I can not fathom... Be gone from my sight. If it is death you seek the river is quite deep..." The stoic Daiyoukai replied as he turned and began walking away again.

"Tenesaiga... It gained its power by being forged in my blood..." She remarked slowly as she got to her feet and dusted off her knees. She sound now as if she could feel no emotion at all. Sesshoumarus stopped again angered by her insistence that she had been of any use to his Father. "If you won't take my life... Would you at least let me fix your arm?" Her question fell on deaf ears. She had turned to him as she spoke and now his one remaining hand was clasped around her neck. She simply smiled lightly as she brashly grasped out and pulled Tenesaiga from his waist. She gasped for breath but didn't struggle as she cut her hand and dizzily felt the blood drip down her fingers. She wiped the blade on her sleeve and put it back at his side. With her bloody palm she wrapped her hand around the stump that was left of his arm and held on as tightly as she could. The grip around her throat loosened as a look of shock poured over the Demon Lord's face. The end of the appendage that had been mostly without feeling since the incident started to tingle. Slowly a perfectly formed hand matching the one he had lost formed from the blood in her palm. Mesmerized by the whole process he didn't think to let go of the girl until her hand dropped lifelessly to her side. He released her to rest against a tree but didn't notice how carelessly he had placed her. He finally returned completely to his senses as the sound of crackling leaves and breaking twigs filled his ears. He looked around and saw the girl had slid down to the bottom of a nearby ravine.

The Demon Lord was still unsure what to think of this creature as he picked her up. She was obviously giving off holy energy but he was unaffected by it and she was able to heal a demon's wounds. Despite her bleeding and dirty appearance he carried her back to their camp with the greatest care he could afford. It wasn't until he got her back that he noticed her mangled feet from running relentlessly through the woods bare foot. The lesions only deepened his curiosity of this girl. She was completely devoted to her task of keeping his Father well to the point of blind and reckless abandon. What had he done to gain such devotion from her?

"Ah Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cheered as she saw the Daiyoukai appear among the trees. "Oh did she try to run away without thanking you? How rude!" She pouted angrily as she eyed the mystery girl.

"Rin... Get some water and bandages..." Was all the reply she got. She smiled at his acknowledgment then ran off toward the stream with a bucket. The Demon Lord laid the girl down where she had been sleeping previously and assessed her feet and hand.

"The river is still a viable option..." The girl muttered suddenly holding her head with her uncut hand. "It would be better than troubling you again Sesshoumaru-dono... Why didn't you just leave me?" He seemed to ignore the question but in fact didn't want to admit that another human might hold value to him.

"For your failure... You will serve me until your debt is repayed..." He replied as he took a clean cloth from one of Aun's packs and handed it to Rin when she returned.

"I'll try not to be a bother... Daiyoukai-dono..." She sighed weakly before falling asleep again.

"Clean her up I'm going to find dinner." He order Rin seemingly ignoring the other girl again. Being referred to as the Daiyoukai was strange to him and he wasn't entirely comfortable with it. Nor was he comfortable with a human acting like his vassel much less one so strange. How was it possible that a holy woman could keep from purifying him and heal his wounds in such an unconventional way? He pondered the notion of her being a half demon but decided it was impossible... Or was it? Perhaps it was time to seek the counsel of an ancient... It was time to go West. Without a nemesis to hunt down a trip to the West could be a welcome distraction given how it had fallen into disarray without a leader.

It was morning the next day when the girl awoke again to the evenly paced swaying of the hulking Aun walking down the path. Her throat hurt badly and her feet and hand stung from the wounds she had inflicted on them the day before. Sesshumaru had sensed her coming to but said nothing at first. As she pushed herself up she noticed that Rin had been sitting behind her making sure she didn't fall off. The little girl smiled warmly and continued brushing her companion's hair happily. "I'm glad you're awake!" She cheered as she halted brushing long enough for the other girl to sit up. "I'm Rin! What's your name?"

"Miyori." The other girl choked out quietly despite it killing her throat to do so. "Nice to meet you Rin..." The pair sat there riding along and Rin fashioned Miyori a set of ponytails out of two scraps of white material. Unsatisfied with Miyori just having pigtails she braided the light brown locks and tied them off with two more scraps. "Thank you!" The braided girl replied as happily as she could after inspecting Rin's fine work.

"I haven't gotten to play with anyone's hair in a long time!" She replied beaming a smile as she rubbed one of the hair ropes. "Sesshoumaru doesn't let me play with his like this..." She added with a pout. The Demon Lord just shook his head slowly and continued walking.

"Do you enjoy degrading yourself as a slave?" He wondered glancing back at Miyori. She instantly knew what he was talking about and she rubbed the collar like choker around her neck. He hadn't noticed it previously but when it indented his hand the day before he became aware of it.

"It's a bind of service... It is how your Father kept track of me..." She explained sentimentally as her voice cracked from the pain of speaking. "Now that he's dead I can't take it off..." She knew he wasn't exactly following what she meant. If his Father was dead then the enchantment on the choker should have grown weak enough for her to break with her holy powers. "It's a blood bind... Only your Father can take it off..."

A blood bind? Blood binding wasn't a ritual to be taken lightly much less a bind between a human and a demon. The only way she could have survived is because of her unique power. It was becoming clear that this girl must have been instrumental to his Father's conquest of the West. The realization made him even less fond of being it's heir. Nonetheless, he was surprised at how well trained this girl was. Even though she had been injured by him she wouldn't speak unless spoken to. He had known many women, human and demon alike, to babble on incessantly. She hadn't even offered her name until Rin asked for it. Surely his Father and his soft spot for humans had been more cordial to her than that. Or perhaps there was another reason. Either way it mattered not to him nor did her name. He would have been perfectly content calling her woman.

"So you knew Sesshoumaru-sama's Father?" Rin wondered excitedly as she leaned around and looked up at Miyori. The older girl smiled and nodded to keep from talking. "Why were you hiding in that cave?" Rin was inquisitive like all children her age but this would work to the Demon Lord's advantage so he didn't scold her for talking too much. "Did he put you there?" Miyori nodded again. "You two must have gotten into a big battle !" The child exclaimed impressed by her companion's knowledge of Sesshoumaru's Father.

"He was trying to save me..." Miyori choked out grimmacing not at the pain in her neck but the memories the comment had brought up.

"When you're feeling better you have to tall me what happened!" Rin chirped not noticing the older girl's torment. Miyori wiped a tear away from her eye quickly and nodded putting on a fake smile. "You probably have a lot of neat stories if you traveled with Sesshoumaru-sama's Father! I want to hear them all!" Rin's enthusiasm made a genuine smile appear on Miyori's face now though. The little girl remind her of herself at that age...

They continued traveling on until it was nearly dark. The Daiyoukai picked out a suitable place for a camp and turned to direct the newcomer on how things were ran in his presence. To his surprise, despite her badly injured feet, Miyori had hopped off Aun and was already limping around helping Rin. She was in obvious pain but said nothing and in fact didn't even let it show on her face. When Sesshoumaru had returned with fire wood he couldn't help but notice the smell of blood in the air around the camp. He eyed the older girl and noticed her cleaning the wounds on her feet. They had busted open and started bleeding again from walking on them. The blood was a liability to him if it attracted attention while he was gone. Before he could scold her he noticed her face. It hurt her a lot but she just bit her lip and kept washing them. She wanted to cry but she wouldn't and for some reason he admired that...

"You should probably avoid walking until your feet heal... Blood is nothing but bait for animals and demons..." He finally remarked as he started the fire. Miyori looked at him pensively for a moment and nodded in agreement. Then she did something completely bizarre that seemed crazy even to Sesshoumaru. She burnt the end of a stick until it was glowing hot and used it to sauder her wounds shut. The pain must have been tremendous but all she would allow herself to do was shed a single tear and bit her lip. Sesshoumaru looked at her wide eyed and utterly shocked a look that he was unaccustomed to giving as very little shocked him. "You're a foolish girl..." Was all he could think to say as he turned to find some dinner.

"I do what I have to... To complete my mission..." The girl whispered pensively as she set about wrapping her feet up.

"You're really tough!" Rin gasped plopping down in front of her and helping her.

"If my injuries caused you to get hurt... I don't think I could live with myself..." Miyori replied wincing as she tied the second wrapping up.

"How unfortunate for you... It seems she's going to get quite hurt..." A woman's voice hissed from the darkness just beyond the fire's light. Every word dripped with venom and malice.

"Rin... run..." Miyori growled pulling the little girl up and pushing her off toward where Sesshoumaru had gone. "RUN!" The little girl dashed off in time to see a demon rush out and grabbed her friend by the arms and slam her into a tree. "Don't look back!" Rin pointed forward and ran as fast as she could.

"Mmm... She can wait you smell simply irristable... Why do you smell so very delicious?" The demoness spoke as if just being in Miyori's presence was ecstasy. She licked and nibbled on Miyori's neck and cheek as the girl struggled to free herself. "Awe this silly thing as to go... it's in my way!" She pouted eying the choker. "Besides you're MY slave now..." She tugging on it fiercely trying to get it off but was failing. That was apparently a trigger for Miyori...

"I serve no one but the DAIYOUKAI!" She screamed and some foreign surge of energy ripped the demoness off of her. As she approached the lithe figure the attacker noticed her eyes were glowing an eerie hue that matched the color the blood in the choker was now glowing. The power of the energy swirling around her was so strong it blew the braids out of her hair.

"The Daiyoukai of the West!" The attacker screeched writhing away into the darkness. With the threat gone the power left Miyori had she fell back into Sesshoumaru's arms. It left him to wonder if her attacker was repelled by him being there or something she sensed in the energy Miyori had given off... Remarkably though it seemed as though the power surge had caused her wounds to completely heal instantly. Whatever his Father had done to this girl it was much deeper than a blood pact. An enchantment like this he had never seen before and merely solidified the fact that he had to talk to an old friend in the West.

- - - - - - - - - -

"She wasn't there!" A tall and gorgeous male demon panted as he skid to a stop in front of a group of elders. They were all similar in appearance to Sesshoumaru save for their own unique markings. "But there was a fresh scent there and you aren't going to like this... I think Sesshoumaru-dono found her and took her..." He added once he had gained more of his breath.

"Fate is cruelly indeed..." The eldest among them sighed as he slumped down on the stone steps they had gathered at. "Understandably a barrier laced with his Father's youki would be irresistible... But why... why did he have to find her? He won't give up a prize without a fight..."

"If he won't give her up willingly then a fight is what he's going to get..." The young demon replied gritting his teeth and looking quite serious. "If the rumors of HER being awake again are true we need a Matriarch... Miyori Disetsu is to closest thing we have to one right now..."

"It's a fool's endeavor to fight Sesshoumaru-dono... However if anyone can do it I feel that you could Hiyami... Be careful though and be swift.... If SHE finds out we are leaderless and without the sword she'll soon be at our door to slaughter us." Another of the elders interjected patting the boy on the shoulder gently.

"I will not fail a second time... Rest sure of that..." He growled before dashing off down the sprawling stone steps and out of the village.

"Send a messenger to track down Inuyasha... Though his Father forbid him from coming here... He maybe the only hope we have of releasing the the blood bind on her to ascertain her powers..." The third elder sighed turning to his apprentice, a Blood Priest. The apprentice did as he was told and the stage was set for an unwelcome family reunion...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two: Origins of an Empire**_

"I think this is the end for us..." An old man cried in the corner of a small temple's central room. "We should have left when we had the chance!" The heavy wooden doors to the temple started to pound as the attackers outside tried to bust them down. Suddenly the pounding stopped and the night air was full of terrified screams. "Oh great first bandits raze our town and now demons... We're all doomed!"

"Silence old man! This is my vision coming to pass! The saviors of our town are about to break down that door!" An ornately garbed priestess parked pointing to the doors with an intense look on her face. Nothing could have prepared any of the scared villagers for what was about to come through the doors... The massive wooden doors were flawlessly cut into four pieces with two hearty cuts. Two figures stepped up onto the pieces and when the dust cleared the villagers could finally gaze upon their saviors... Two very powerful looking demons, one male and one female. The female was quite pregnant... "Follow me..." The priestess commented without question was she reached out and took the female's hand. She lead her into one of the small rooms and closed the door. While she gave birth the villagers huddled in a corner watching the other demon who was watching the door.

"I'm not going to eat you or anything..." He finally remarked a little annoyed by them staring at him. "I just want to know my wife and child are all right..." It was then that a little girl walked up to him much to the dismay of her mother and took his hand.

"When I'm scared my Mommy holds my hand and we say a little prayer... It always makes me feel all better... Maybe it will help you!" She was obviously intimidated by the demon but not necessarily scared. "Come on!" She tugged him down on his knees and said a little prayer for his wife and child. "Please protect his nice demon's wife and child... Please help them to be safe now and always! Bless them for saving all of us from death!" She cried happily. The display made the great demon smile and he hugged the little girl gently when she was done.

"That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me! Thank you..." He mused sitting her back down. No sooner had he said that but a baby's cries could be heard from the next room over. "It worked!" He added rushing over to the door with the little girl in toe. The door soon slid open and the priestess popped her head out with a wide smile.

"I hope you picked out a good name for a little boy!" The demon laughed and nodded slowly.

- - - - - - - - - -

"So you need a new home for your tribe?" The priestess repeated back as she thought deeply on what the pair of demons had just told her. "If you're willing to help us rebuild the town I have no problem with it... Pending all of your tribe are as kind as you."

"Not all of our tribe will accept this but those that do will pose no threat to your people..." The demoness replied happily as she soothed the little one in her hands. "We need a new place to call home while we rid this land of the more brutal tribes. We could even help you to combat the bandits that plague the area."

"It sounds like an ideal pact for everyone..." The priestess grinned and from then on the pact stood.

- - - - - - - - - -

"You were chosen to become a Blood Priestess Miyori! That's a great honor!" A small demon child exclaimed excitedly as she danced around with her friend. "You're going to be come so powerful!"

"I'm going to try my best to protect our village and help Daiyoukai-sama to win the West!" A very young Miyori replied breaking the dance and running away from her friend. "I'll be back soon!" She added running up the hill overlooking the village and into a small shrine. The ritual to make her a blood priest went without a hitch. Weak the Matriarch of the tribe napped as Miyori became acclimated with her new strength. Before she could even fully understand what had happened a sword was ran through her stomach.

"Abominations!" A young man who had came to the village not long ago as a vagrant screamed as he pulled the sword from Miyori and drove it through the now coherent Matriarch. Though weak she repelled the attacker and drove her talons deep through his heart killing him. She turned her attention to the girl who was bleeding out on the floor of the cave. The Matriarch knew that her wound was to great to overcome in her state but she could do one last thing before she left this world.

"Dear sweet Miyori..." She whispered as she picked up the little girl and held her tight in her arms. The bleeding oozing out of her shoulder flowed into the girl's mouth and soon her blood started sucking up all the blood in the cave. "If anyone can take this curse and do great things with it... I know you can..." With her last dying breath she kissed the little girl on the forehead and her wound disappeared.

- - - - - - - - - -

"That's when you and your Father found her..." The old tree added to finish the story. "When your Grandmother died your Mother inherited her power and became the Matriarch. She died before she could give birth to a daughter to become the Matriarch. From the way I understand it she tried to gift her power to this Miyori and failed for the most part."

"And the blood pact my Father put on her?" Sesshoumaru wondered insinuating that could be the source of her power.

"That does intrigue me... It doesn't sound like a normal blood pact to be sure if it causes her lose control of herself and not remember anything later. A blood pact in the normal sense is merely to connect two beings no matter the distance. It sounds more like a binding than blood pact... or a combination of the two..." The old tree replied thoughtfully as he muddled over it for a moment. "This I can be certain of... Something happened to that girl that your Father sought to control... Why control it and not kill it I'm not sure... He always was weak in that regard..."

Sesshoumaru grunted and walked away. "You've been of little help to me. If I wanted a history lesson I would have simply taken a walk through my own memories..." He scoffed walking away.

"Trust me when I tell you that if he couldn't control it... You certainly can't..." The tree called more as an omen than a warning. The Demon Lord brushed it off knowing that he was just as powerful if not more so than his Father. "Do you know why your Grandfather enlisted the Blood priests? And why your woman never left the village Sesshoumaru?" The Demon Lord stopped and turned around slowly. It had never occurred to him why but that was exactly the case... "She inherited the worst possible power from your Mother... And if it is as powerful as hers... I would burn her the ash as soon as you get back."

"Why is that?" The Daiyoukai wondered skeptically as he moved back to the old tree.

"The reason your woman always need protection... is because their blood is an integral part of an ancient ritual to become invulnerable... It takes every speck of blood from a demoness as powerful as the Matriarch or several less powerful. That girl you found inherited the healing powers of your Mother from her blood pact and will become a target..." The old tree explained with grave concern in his voice.

"And how did you decide this now and not earlier?" The doubtful Daiyoukai wondered skeptically.

"Your arm... she did it..." The tree eye his new hand which Sesshoumaru raised up to look at. "In small doses it can heal both humans and demons..." Sesshoumaru didn't say anything else he just walked away ignoring the tree's cries to kill the girl.

- - - - - - - - -

"I sense chaos and unrest... Mmm... the smell of blood and tears!" An alluring woman's voice mused as its voluptuous owner appeared from her remote shrine. "It seems my rest did me well..." She delighted in looking at herself in a nearby pond for sometime. Her blood red hair was in a half pony tail. Despite this it still nearly touched the ground. She was extremely well dressed as her barrier protected her clothes from age as well. It's time to see what this world has to offer me now... I smell the blood of an innocent." She let her gaze linger in the direction of the nearby woods. "She smells tasty..." In an instant she was gone.

"MILADY!" The demoness that had attacked Miyori and Rin called happily as she glomped her Mistress. "You're awake Milady! And I have such wonderful news for you!" She went on spinning off her lady's neck and landing on the ground in a kneeling position. "The detestable Daiyoukai of the West is dead and his lands are ours for the taking! Shall I gather the clan?"

"Yes.. Do so as soon as possible... I must feed now... This Queen of Darkness... She's ready to show this world what true suffering is!" She hissed continuing on past her servant and on toward the source of her meal.

- - - - - - - - -

"So what did he say?" Jakken wondered excitedly as Sesshoumaru returned to their camp.

"He said we should burn her to dust... She's cursed..." The Daiyoukai replied making sure everything had been picked up and packed. Jakken spasmed for a moment before squawking at his master.

"Do you believe that Milord? Should I prepare the fire?"

"I think that old bush is a foolish old man set in his ways in more than one aspect..." Sesshoumaru replied picking up Miyori and throwing her as carefully as he could on Aun's back. "She's no more bother than rain... especially if she sleeps all the time..." The Daiyoukai muttered leading them along down the path. He knew of a hot spring nearby that he wished to visit before venturing further West to seek out the council of someone who had a stronger tie to his Father. What the old tree had told him didn't make sense... A human's body couldn't possibly withstand that much demonic power being introduced to it all at once. What's more is even from what he remembered of the Blood Priest they didn't exude holy energy. The answer he was given wasn't the one he needed. The likelihood that she had his Mother's power as weak as she was couldn't be more from the truth as far as he was concerned. As he approached the hot spring Tenesaiga started doing something odd it seemed to be shaking ever so slightly.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Rin..." Miyori muttered as she sprang to life and jumped off of Aun's back. The girl had gone off to pick flowers in the nearby field alone and now the Blood Priestess sensed danger. A danger that made her blood course and her body move. She could sense it even before Sesshoumaru who looked at her with odd amazement because of how fast she could move now. It was all he could to keep up with her. She slid to a stop in the grass in time to see Rin become airborne in the hands of the Queen. "Drop her!" Miyori screamed lunging forward in an attempt to grab Rin. She missed miserably.

"Miyori-chan! Help me!" Rin looked scared and desperate with tears streaming down her face. The look made Miyori's very soul ache and she couldn't understand why. She should felt very warm... and very angry...

"I SAID PUT HER DOWN!" White hot light shot out of the Priestess and shot forth toward the Queen. The attack missed but it caused her to drop Rin. In the blink of an eye Miyori grabbed her before her feet could even touch the ground. In one fluid motion she spun around and to face the demoness. "You should leave now if you value your neck..." As Sesshoumaru watched the Priestess he realized that Tenesaiga was shaking. The longer it was in the presence of the demoness the more violently it shook. What could that possibly mean?

"I'm not leaving without dinner... Your meager antics can not defeat me... I am the great and powerful Queen of Darkness!" The demoness cackled as she stroked her hair. "You'll make an even better feast for my awakening..." Some kind of instinct seemed to snap in Miyori's head as she hugged Rin tight against her chest. She bit down on her wrist hard enough to draw blood and let it pool in her hand. As the demoness approached though something neither of them expected happened. Tenesaiga shot through the air and landed between them. The mere sight of the sword sent the Queen writhing away screaming. "THAT BITCH! She said the Daiyoukai of the West was dead! That sword... THAT DAMN SWORD! I will have your life... Blood Bitch! I remember you well now..." She screeched before disappearing in a flash.

"Rin are you okay?" Miyori wondered kneeling down with the girl.

"I'm fine! Thank you so much!" Rin cried hugging Miyori tightly and burying her face into her the Priestess's chest. "Who was that?"

"Someone very very bad... The Queen of Darkness... the leader of the vampire demons... The only person to defeat Sesshoumaru's Father in a fair fight... I have to go now..." She let Rin go and pushed herself away so she could stand up. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because of me." She added with a light smile. "She hates me... for bringing him back... And for dying to create Tenesaiga..."

"You died to create Tenesaiga?" Sesshoumaru wondered doubtfully as he pulled the sword in question from the ground and replaced it at his waist.

"I was the first person it brought back... I had to bleed out almost completely to make its power permanent..." Miyori replied with a serious demeanor as she started walking away.

"You're not leaving... You are still indebted to me and I want you to tell me everything... You serve me now remember?" The Demon Lord seethed as he grabbed her wrist and made her stop. Miyori clenched her fists hoping he wouldn't say what she was afraid he would say. She doubted it would have the same effect given the choker had placed her under the former Daiyoukai... "I forbid it..." The choker lit up and shocked her with a powerful shock that brought her to her knees almost instantly. "Well... well... I think that will certainly come in handy..." He added amused by the result of his firmness. He picked her up by the arm and slung her paralyzed body over his shoulder. He couldn't help but delight in the look of utter shock that had froze on her face when the choker reacted. Oh how he so loved to be in control...

"Sesshoumaru-dono... You're so cold..." Miyori whispered as he dropped her down back at the hot springs. Rin had already ran ahead to take her own bath in the srpings before dinner. The Daiyoukai snorted in disgust as he sat down and fed the nearly dead fire.

"You say I'm cold and yet I have carried your dead weight around for nearly two weeks. Fed you and kept you safe when you were in most need... I hardly see how that makes me cold..." He replied smugly as he made himself comfortable on the far side of the fire. She couldn't dispute that fact however she also couldn't dispute that she hated knowing he was after something... She knew that he wouldn't have done any of this he didn't think he could benefit from it. He had been like that even as a child growing up besides her in the village. Well she couldn't really say beside her... As far as he was concerned she was nothing more than a pest when they were growing up because she was weaker than him. He only associated himself with the strongest kids in the village which more often then not were demons. She was quite fond of him ever since he instilled in her the value of strength. Weak low rank spies sought to infiltrate the village but not before snacking on one of the locals... Being the Daiyoukai's son he was easily able to dispatch them and save her from an early death where she bare scratched them.

"You're family has been saving me for long enough... Even you... Even though we were both so young you were always making fun of me by saving me... I want to stand on my own feet and fight my own battles..." The Blood Priestess muttered sadly as she curled up in a ball.

"I don't follow... I've known you previously?" The Daiyoukai wondered in a voice that denoted he really didn't care much.

"I don't suppose you would remember me after all this time..." Was all she said at first as a reply. She couldn't help but cry the more she thought about it and the words to say. "I always thought you were the most incredible thing I had ever seen... You were always collected and strong and knew exactly what you wanted. The only reason I agreed to become a Blood Priestess was so you would finally accept me. You only acknowledged the strongest kids in the village to associate with... But I realized when you laughed when I told you that... I would never be more than an object of amusement for you... But despite that I became a Blood Priestess anyways because I decided that even if it was just an amusement for you... You still acknowledged me even if it was just for a laugh..." She realized how silly she sounded and how she was babbling on which he hated so she tried to finish quickly. "I had hoped that I could return from traveling with your Father strong enough to be worthy of standing beside you... But it seems that wasn't the case... and never will be." She pushed herself up and wiped her face with her sleeve. Without saying another word she walked past him and to the spring.

The Demon Lord's expression had remained solid however he was deep in thought trying to place this girl. He couldn't even remember what the tree had said about him being present to find her when his Mother died. He had long forgotten his past as he found no use in it. If he could even find his way back to that wretched backwood village it would be utterly amazing to him. And then it stuck him... There had been a girl that he remembered doing may nice things for him as a child... Though he had never even thought of them as signs of affection at the time. He show them merely as a show of respect to him for being the heir to the empire. The affections of a human girl was something he had little care for. Something else stuck out in his mind though... a smile... Her smile... The more he thought about it the less hazy the image became...

"She's a foolish girl indeed to delude herself that the great Sesshoumaru would bother himself with the passing whims of a human girl..." Jakken scoffed after she was out of ear shot as he curled up and prepared to sleep.

Rin bounded back into the camp and curled up in her usually bedding near the fire. "Good night Sesshoumaru-sama!" He said nothing he simply waited for her to go to sleep. Once he was sure he could leave without her waking he did so and disappeared into the night towards a nearby town...

"If you've come to exercise your newfound power then please get on with it..." Miyori sighed pulling herself out of the warm, soothing water and sitting down on one of the rocks surrounding the spring. She pulled her clothes around her simply to keep warm in the chill night air. The fact that she knew he was there surprised Sesshoumaru but he said nothing. The thought had crossed his mind to use her as he had originally thought his Father had... At this point in time though he stood firmly with his back turned leaning against a tree. There was a soft thud and when Miyori looked behind her she was shocked at what she saw. It was a pile of new clothes with a small bouquet of flowers on top of it.

"You were a terrible orator... 'These flowers are lovely but not nearly as lovely as you'" He scoffed still not looking at the stunned girl. "I think that terrible line applies much better in this instance... If you're going to be in my presence you need to look more presentable... Those rags may have suited my Father but I have much higher expectations of what my consorts should look like..." His voice reflected no emotion as usual and his words still seemed to have the crisp edge of a sharpened sword. Still they made Miyori very happy.

"Sesshoumaru-dono... Thank you... I'm... I'm sorry about what I said earlier..." Miyori choked out slowly as she reached out and touched the clothes and flowers carefully.

"You should dress now... It's cold..." He ordered as he pushed himself off the tree and went back to the camp.

"Yes... Daiyoukai-dono..." He heard her whisper as she tried to firm up. He couldn't help but laugh at her on the inside for being so foolish as to want to please him even though she despised him. Water splashed in the background from Miyori getting out of the spring. He couldn't help but smile ever so slightly as he heard her happy, "Sugoi..." as she picked up the clothes and gave them a good inspection.

Elsewhere in the World:

"Ah finding all the shards is so boring without someone like Naraku to worry about..." Inuyasha sighed restlessly as Kagaome daintily picked a fragment of the Shikon no Tama out of the remains of another demon.

"Inuyasha! We should count this as a blessing that the jewel will remain safe and with it the world..." Miroku scolded as he sat down on a rock to rest while Kagome put the shard with the fragment of the jewel they had already collected. Suddenly a cloaked figure dropped out of the sky somewhere and knelt down in front of Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha-dono son of the Daiyoukai of the West..." She said quietly as she stood up.

"Yeah... That would be me..." The half demon replied indignantly as he cocked an eyebrow at the demoness.

"Be careful Inuyasha... Her youki is very powerful..." The monk warned hopping off his rock quickly and arming for an attack.

"I know monk... Shut up." He growled back clenching a fist.

"I'm not here for a fight however my orders are to bring you alive at all costs..." The messenger started as she undid her cloak and let it fall. She looked like a stunningly beautiful female Sesshoumaru but with different markings. She was wearing the armor traditional of a human warlord of the time only fitted for a woman's shapely curves. It was red and black in color with a white insignia on each shoulder. One, they would later discover, marked her as a Blood Guard and the other as a guard of the Capitol. A third on her back marked her as the general of the Capitol guards."I am Blood Guard Mitsugaya Kurokage of the Capitol High Guard of the West. Prince Inuyasha... your clan needs you.."

"WHAT?" Everyone gasped in unison.

"Prince Inuyasha? There must be some mistake..." Kagome laughed shaking her head and hands in unison.

"There is no mistaking THAT... Tetsusaiga... You are my Prince and I have been ordered to bring you to the Capitol..." Mitsugaya replied pointing to the sword at the half demon's side.

"Why would my clan seek me out now after all these years? Where were they when I was growing up alone?!" Inuyasha seethed yelling at the messenger angrily.

"We were forbidden from revealing your true origins to you by your Father... He feared you would grow up weak and unable to overcome your half demon limitations. In coming to you I have committed treason and will likely die for it..." She replied sadly diverting her gaze away from the angry demon.

"Forbidden?" Sango repeated a little shocked.

"It was never your Father's intention to leave you or your Mother alone... The circumstances surrounding his death are more complicated than I'm sure you've been made aware of... Isn't that right Myoga..." She was as cunning as she was beautiful and hoped to use her knowledge as a bargaining chip to get the half demon to come with her.

"Mitsugaya... Why are you here and breaking the law of our Lord?" Myoga wondered hopping out of Kagome's shirt and on to Inuyasha's shoulder. His voice was uncharacteristically stern and was surprising for the others to hear.

"Milady has died and SHE is awake the bind must be removed and we can not count on Sesshoumaru to do it..." Was all the messenger said. Her comment made no sense to anyone else but to Myoga it was deathly serious.

"The Matriarch is dead? And the Banshee Queen is awake?!" Myoga gasped falling down on his ride's shoulder and shuddering. "Oh no no... The clan is doomed if he has the sword and she's still bound by the Master's enchantment... OH NO! If the Banshee Queen finds out about the jewel! Inuyasha we have to go with her! Kagome could be in grave danger if we don't! Please I'll explain on the way!" Inuyasha growled under his breath and his face was less than enthusiastic about the idea.

"You've been a pain in the ass but you've never steered me wrong Myoga... Let's go..." Inuyasha's concession brought tears to the Blood Guard's eyes and she knelt again on bought knees.

"Thank you... Thank you so very much Inuyasha-dono..." She sobbed quietly. "You have no idea how many lives you could be saving..." She picked her cloak back up and wrapped it around her to hide her appearance. "We have no time to lose..."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three: An Amusement**_

When Miyori returned to camp still dressed in her old clothes Sesshoumaru looked at her less than enthusiastically. It had taken her long enough that he had pondered if she had drowned only for her to return looking like that? His annoyed look wasn't lost to her and she made an embarrassed face. "These clothes are much harder to put on by yourself than you would imagine... And I got cold..." She muttered trying to avoid his gaze as she pressed the clothes to her chest and held the flowers in one hand. She was shivering ever so slightly and he could sense her discomfort but truthfully her clothes wouldn't keep her warm through the night.

"Go back to the spring..." He ordered coldly but she could tell he was rather annoyed at the moment. She nodded slowly and a little disheartened before doing as she was told. Much to her shock and dismay she heard him groan and soon after a set of footsteps started following her.

"Could this wait until morning? Rin could help me then..." She called over her shoulder though it was more like stammering because of her frayed nerves. The full moon over head helped her along the way by at least making everything cast shadows. The luminescent orb did little to help her from slipping on a rock near the spring and flopping in. She surfaced and coughed spastically to clear her lungs. A completely unamused Demon Lord bent down and pulled her out effortlessly with one hand. For a moment he held her at eye level as her turned to place her on solid ground. It was the first time she had ever looked him straight in the eye and to be perfectly honest his gazed scared her. It wasn't the annoyed look he was giving her but more the fact that his eyes seemed to reveal a whole other world behind them. One look and she saw something she didn't think her Lord capable of. For just a split second it seemed as though he wondered if she was all right...

"If you'd prefer to freeze to death tonight by all means..." His voice and gaze were emotionless on the outside but she was sure he was still quite annoyed with her.

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-dono... I promised not to be a bother..." She sighed rather disheartened as she bent down to pick up the clothes he had supplied her. Luckily they survived the fall unmoistened. She stack them in a neat pile in order of what she would be putting on first. "These clothes... I was never allowed to wear anything like this... I wasn't supposed to stand out when I traveled... And here I am dropping them..." The way she was moving the Demon Lord suspected she had hurt her arm or shoulder in the fall but she said nothing, only winced slightly as she pulled. Once she was finished she hesitated to stand up again as he was still standing behind her. What's more he seemed to have no intention of leaving... "I'm perfectly capable of undressing myself..." She commented looking back at him and trying to hide her frustration.

"You've proven yourself incapable of completing a simple task... Don't expect to maintain your decency now... Think of this as a punishment if you must..." He portrayed his usual outward apathy however his mind was somewhere else entirely... "Well she certainly seemed to lack little in the way of physical attractiveness..." He thought to himself as he noted her wet clothes clinging to her every curve. "Truly it's been entirely too long since I've been with a woman if I'm finding her attractive..." He scolded himself as he noticed her near scowl. She had seen something in his eyes or thought she did... They looked happy! She turned her attention away and gritted her teeth. Her fingers were clenched tight around the haori and juban that covered the top of her body. She felt as though she might cry as she pulled them slowly out of her matching, plain blue hakama but she fought the urge. Instead she tried to make her mind quite blank as she struggled against the pain in her shoulder and her own nerves. With the ties undone she pulled them off and folded them carefully.

"She's doing this to annoy me..." The Daiyoukai thought to himself already annoyed as he waited impatiently for her to start undressing. As her upper garments slowly slid off he noted that it was actually hard for her to move her arm easily. "Wow... She is rather stunning in this light..." He commented cocking his eyebrow slightly as his eyes followed the curves of her sides to the hem of her hakama. He noticed how flawless and smooth her skin was not to mention how it had a eerie pale hue he found strangely attractive.

"Why is he doing this to me? Have I really upset him so badly for him to embarrass me like this?" Miyori wondered to herself as she sat her old garments down next to the new ones. "Why did I have to fall in that stupid spring and get everything wet! It's so cold out to be naked much less in front of him! I was foolish to very think he could have an ounce of kindness or decency..." She was crying on the inside but still she struggled on shivering now as she took off her hakama and laid it on the ground. She started to unfold the pile of clothes that had been heavy before but suddenly felt as though it weighed much more than it should. As she pulled the sleeve of her new juban on she dreaded trying to get it on the other...

"No wonder she had such a hard time... This girl gets cold quickly..." Seshoumaru thought as he noticed Miyori's shivering was getting worse. "She's going to get sick..." The thought of her being sick did sit well with him on multiple levels. The obvious complaint of him having to cawdle her more made him disgusted. At the same time though he didn't want to see her sick for another reason... One he could quite put his finger one. "Well I might as well speed this along..." He sighed walking up and pulling the Juban off of Miyori after watching her agonize over trying to get it on. She instantly froze in shock as the garment slid off but that didn't faze him. He held it with one hand as he gently pulled her injured arm up and slid it in. He noticed her head was cocked back at him but he just kept looking straight ahead as he slid her other arm back in. She turned her gaze downward to tie the strings that held it closed. With her less exposed he moved in front of her and picked up the next garment to put on her. The pile had several matching and brightly colored kimonos although it wouldn't be quite as complicated as the juni-hitoe worn by aristocrats. She turned side ways to make sure he wasn't looking up her shirt and blushed a bright red. After putting the first kimono on her he picked up the hakama and handed them to her.

"Thank the gods he has a line somewhere!" Miyori sighed to herself as she pushed one leg through the soft material of the pants. As she tried to pulled the right leg through a tremendous pain shot through her arm making her drop the pants and put her foot down. Her weight on the half placed pants pulled down right into Sesshoumaru who caught her with the worst hand placement ever... "Ah! His hands are so cold!" She gasp feeling his frigid digits against her skin. It was then that she realized where his hands were and jumped out of his strangely comforting embrace. Her utter embarrassment made him outwardly chuckle.

"I like that look on her face... And how she feels in my hands... She so weak though..." He mused noticing her struggling to quickly pull the pants up in an embarassed flurry. He moved behind her and grabbed the pants calmly and pulled them up for her. "I don't suppose one time could hurt anything... But not this night..." He stood behind her securing the hakama and enjoying the feel of her racing heart with nervous breathing against his chest. He broke away and picked up another colorful kimono leaving her staring at him in utter shock.

"Now he's smiling?! He's capable of smiling?! Why is he smiling? Sugoi... he's so cute when he smiles..." She had almost completely zoned out at this point so the fact that he was touching her chest to tie the strings of the next kimono didn't really faze her.

"Gaping like that is very unbecoming... Stop doing it..." He snapped as the smile quickly faded back to his stoic gaze. She instantly snapped her mouth shot and diverted her eyes away. She snapped her attention back to him as he handed her a beautiful pair of kanzashi that had been wrapped up in the middle of the pile. "Doing something with your hair as well... it's unsightly to have it flying all over..."

"I'm just a toy to him aren't I?" Miyori couldn't help but mull over the thought incessantly after seeing how much he was enjoying this. "Why am I allowing him to do this? I know my village... my people are in danger... Yet I'm just standing her acting like a living doll for him to play with... That's all he's doing... Playing with me still... This isn't right... I can't stand her anymore and take this... I don't care if he is the Daiyoukai! No... that's not right either... He forfeited that title when he turned his back on us... No... I really don't owe him anything do I? Certainly not to be degraded like this. I didn't fail him I failed his Father..." She clenched her fists and decided on what she had to do now that she had came to a resolve. With as much strength as she could muster she shoved Sesshoumaru away just as he finished wrapping the thick and warm haori around her. With more speed than she thought she was capable of she found a path leading away from the hot spring and took off down it. Her plan would have worked much better if the Demon Lord didn't possess far more grace than she did. Instead of falling into the spring he flipped over it and landed on a rock overlooking it. With a stiff spring of his legs he bolted through the air and straight after her. She didn't get far, she hoped she would have but her hopes were weak. After just a few seconds she jerked as his strong arms locked under hers and pulled her to an abrupt stop. Her feet flew out from under her as he lifted her up and started carrying her back to the spring.

"Let me go!" She sobbed feeling completely helpless and defeated as she tried desperately to smack her captor.

"I will NEVER understand your kind much less women. I show you even more kindness than you deserve and you try to run from me? Are you so foolish as to think someone like you could outsmart or overpower me? Why I ever bother with your worthless carcass is beyond me..." The Daiyoukai fumed with blood red eyes as he threw the Blood Priestess down at the base of a tree. She had gone limp and silent when she realized she couldn't break free of him and just sat looking at the ground. "You're lucky I didn't take your head off at the neck..." He seethed lashing her hands around the tree. Just as an added measure he tied the cord meant to go with her outfit around her feet. She didn't protest instead a few rogue tears dropped on to the soft dirt.

"Why?" She wondered quietly with a breaking voice. "If I'm so worthless... then why did you waste your time on me?" He didn't answer instead he proceeded to disrobe and slinked into the hot spring. She had kept him from his bath long enough and he no longer had any desire to amuse her foolish whims. After a few long moments of silence she started laughing but her laugh was tainted with tears. "I see... Then I really am just a toy to you... And you wonder why I run from you... If you treat people like mere objects it's only natural for them to resent you... Sesshoumaru..." Her lack of any connotation of respect wasn't lost on the Demon Lord.

"A toy? Yes you are an amusement to me now... But that isn't why I bothered with you... Why did I bother with you exactly? Certainly your powers are of some minor benefit to me on occasion but not enough to put up with your insane whims..." He fumed to himself as he sunk down in the water. "I should rid myself of you... But... if you are a tie to my Mother..." He muddled on that thought for a few moments before growling at himself for wasting the time. "Such sentimentality is useless... almost as useless as her. I'll rid myself of her as soon as the opportunity arises..." He sat in the hot water until even his resilient skin was wrinkled but he admittedly enjoyed the silence. Occasionally he heard a stifled cry from the girl but they soon died out completely. True Miyori spoke far less than most women even when upset but she still spoke far too much for his liking. He looked back at her finally and realized she had cried herself to sleep. He smirked a little and decided to leave her there for the night as a fitting punishment until he noticed her shivering. It was then he realized she hadn't fallen asleep, she had passed out from the cold... He rolled his eyes and pulled himself out of the comfort of the spring.

"I barely got her in these damned things and now I have to get her out..." He grumbled under his breath as he set about getting her undressed so he could get her in the spring. "At least I don't have to worry about her foolish embarrassed antics." He conceded pulling her hakama off and picking her up. It dawned on him then that socks and shoes would have been a greater improvement then replacing her decent enough clothes. Her feet were turning blue by the time he sank down into the hot water with her. He shrugged off the oversight and got comfortable again which was a bit more difficult with a naked girl in his lap. When he did finally get comfortable he found it oddly soothing to feel her slowly quickening heartbeat and breathing.

"She's at least easy to look at..." He grumbled to himself as he gazed down at the being curled up in his arms with her head rested against his chest. He rubbed her side compulsively and noted how smooth her skin was. "Why do I find her so attractive? Am I really so desperate?" He was disgusted with himself but couldn't look away from her. She had some kind of power over him that he couldn't describe. At first he had decided to make a conquest of her in some way or another to show he was better than his Father. However gaging her reaction when she first woke up, she never ran away from his Father. He still wanted to break her to his will however it was no longer as a matter of pride for him. No matter how long he thought, he could come to a definitive reason as to why. "Why do I... Why have I always wanted to keep her safe?"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sesshoumaru-dono! Please wait for me!" Miyori cried sadly as she ran to catch up to the demon.

"Miyori... What do you want?" He replied stopping and turning to look at her. His look was angry as it had been in the year since his Mother's death. Her very presence around him made his blood boil though he had noticed she tried to only be around him when necessary now.

"Scouts from the Banshee clan have been spotted in the area! I know you probably don't need me to say this but please be careful out there alone!" She pleaded urgently as she bowed to him. "I'm sorry I felt I should tell you..." She always sounded a little sad when she spoke with him these days but he cared little as to why.

"Your concern is unnecessary... No one in the West but my Father is stronger than this Sesshoumaru..." He replied walking away and out the front gate of the village.

"Miyori... Please keep your distance but keep an eye on him. Sesshoumaru-dono's state of mind as of late would make him an easy target for the Banshee clan..." An elder of the dog demon tribe urged her with a gentle nudge and a smile. Miyori nodded reluctantly and chased after the young lord. She had become an expert at concealing her presence from even him as his Father had taught her. They hadn't been gone very long when a pack of five from the Banshee clan surrounded Sesshoumaru. Miyori chose to keep her distance so as to not injure his pride by intervening.

"As so here you are... Aren't you a little cutie..." One mused with a wicked grin.

"I'd expect nothing less of the Prince of the West..." Another added licking her lips. These weren't normal scouts. They were high ranking lieutenants of the Dark Queens inner circle. They were here for him and he had basically handed himself over... Despite all of this he put up a valiant fight repelling all five for a good long while. It was clear to the Blood Priestess he was outmatched in this instance.

"Ritual of Blood! Summoning of power... FULL ACTIVATION!" Miyori cried cutting her hand over and flinging the blood into the air around her. The blood swirled around and wrapped around her hands and face. The ritual completed just in time for her to see one of the demoness dig her fangs into Sesshoumaru's neck. "Sesshoumaru-dono!" She screamed in anger before rushing forward drilling through the offending demon's chest with her blood armored hand. She pulled the Banshee's claws out of Sesshoumaru's torso and broke the arm off.

"What the Hell is this? Blood Priest aren't this strong... And their eyes don't glow like that!" One of the surviving demons panted as they watched their leader fall to the ground dead, her heart in Miyori's hand. Before she could catch her breath Miyori activated another ritual. This ritual sent a spear of blood through the nearest demon's forehead.

"We're leaving! Let's go!" A third cried and the three survivors disappeared in a flash. The glow in the Priestess's eye faded and the blood armor turned back to liquid.

"Sesshoumaru-dono!" She cried in horror dropping to his side. He looked up at her desperately gasping as he held his torso. Without hesitation she put her hand to his mouth and force her blood down his throat. It took a lot to bring him back and it made her very weak. "I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-dono... I should have tried harder to protect you..." She smiled weakly and fell over across his chest. The choker on her neck reacted and a moment later the Daiyoukai appeared.

"What happened here?" He wondered picking Miyori up in one arm and his son in the other.

"She saved my life... Perhaps not all humans are useless." Was all the young Lord said groggily as he was still recovering from his injury. The next day the Daiyoukai left with Miyori. When Sesshoumaru woke up there was a sash wrapped up laying next to his bed with a note from the girl.

"Please accept this token from me Sesshoumaru-dono. One day I'll make up for my failure to protect you. One day... I'll be strong enough to worth of serving you... - Miyori"

- - - - - - - - - -

Sesshoumaru's eyes flew open and he looked down at the Blood Priestess. She was nice and pink now and it was still dark so he hadn't been asleep long. He pulled her up and used her old clothes to dry her off before redressing her. "When did that truly strong girl I admired die? Why did he kill her?" He whispered aloud as he gazed at her fully clothed body. "I'm not giving you up until she comes back..." He decided as he picked her and the flowers up and left the old clothes lie. "I'll not forgive him for this..." He growled to himself as he laid her down next to a soundly sleeping Rin and wrapped her up in a fur pelt. Aun had done well to keep the fire going but now that his master had returned he to drifted off to sleep.

Miyori's eyes fluttered opened and she looked around briefly. It was still dark out and it seemed as though Sesshoumaru was asleep as well. With great stealth she pulled away the pelt and crept off into the dark woods. Every step was painful because of her feet still having some frostbite left. The frigid cold ground certainly didn't help any but that was the last thing on her mind. "He has taken very good care of me... but that doesn't change how he sees me or that he abandoned us. But how can I possibly escape him?" She thought of a few good plans but decided none of them were very viable in terms of success. She knew full well what Sesshoumaru was capable of and wondered why he hadn't killed her yet as it was. She stopped on the beach of a still lake and looked out on it rather forlorn looking. Suddenly she felt a familiar youki that didn't belong to the Demon Lord coming close to her.

"MIYORI!" The youki's owner beamed but before she could acknowledge the greeting she was being spun around in the air. "Oh Miyori I've missed you so much!" He sighed as he sat her down and hugged her tight.

"HIYAMI! I've missed you too! I... Can't believe you're here!" She sobbed burying her face into his soft fluff.

"I can't believe I'm going to take you back without a fight..." He grinned and rubbed her back gently.

"Take me... back?" She wondered more than slightly confused. Before she could get an answer she felt Sesshoumaru's youki whip rushing towards them. She shoved her childhood friend out of the way in time to take the whip in the throat just below the choker. The Demon Lord withdrew the attack instantly but the damage had already been done. A smoldering hole was left in her neck cutting off the passage of air into her lungs. Tears streamed down her wide eyed face as she tried desperately to breathe to no avail.

"You're too weak to heal that aren't?" Hiyami wondered tearfully as he took her hand and held it tightly. "Take some of my energy... please... Miyori... DO IT!" He cried desperately as he inched closer to her and started crying. She only shook her and pointed a trembling finger at Sesshoumaru. "I'll kill him..." The demon growled angrily shifting blood red eye at his nemesis. As he lunged forward to attack Miyori fell face first to the ground. Before they could clash both demons were froze in place inches apart by some strange power. Hiyami spun around to a most horrific sight. Miyori was being consumed by the power imprisoned in her body. White streaks and blue glowing eyes were accented by the strange blue energy floating around her.

"Not good... Not good at all.." The younger demon gasped running toward the Blood Priestess. "Miyori please! Stop!" He grabbed her hand but was instantly shot away by a blast of the blue energy. "Miyori! If you don't stop you'll die! Please try to get a hold of yourself!" Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow and slowly made his way to the girl. Her energy flowed around him but couldn't seem to touch him as he watched the wound in her neck heal completely.

"Whatever ill-fated endeavor you hope to accomplish with this display... I forbid it..." With that the power faded instantly as electric spark coursed over her body. She fell into his arms and he picked her up.

"She's coming with me..." Hiyami growled getting to his feet and eying Sesshoumaru maliciously. To his surprise the Daiyoukai walked up to him and handed the Blood Priestess over.

"You may take her to visit that wretched village she calls home... But trust this... I will come for her sooner as oppose to later..." Was all he said before walking away.

"I'll be waiting..."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four: The Capitol**_

"This is the capitol of the Western Kingdom?" Sango gasped looking up at the formidable stone wall in front of them. The wall surrounded a towering city that crept almost all the way up the side of the small mountain it sat on. "How could we have never known about a city this big?"

"The city is protected by human Clerics called the Blood Clergy who maintain a powerful enchantment on the city. It hides the city from enemies and outsiders alike to protect it. Unless you are welcomed into this domain by someone of authority you can not enter." Myoga explained gazing up at the forboding city.

"Blood Clergy?" Sango wondered with worry in her voice as she turned her eyes back to the messenger who was guiding them to the gate.

"Blood Clergy are humans with powerful holy aptitude that enter into a Blood Pact with our Matriarch... By exchanging blood they become infinitely more powerful by melding the holy with the demonic. The ritual is painful on its own but deadly to many who enter it weak of heart though..." Mitsugaya explained as the rounded a corner and came upon two towering wooden doors. The doors creaked open to her approach revealing stone steps leading straight up the mountain ending at a huge temple. A herald at the door gasped and looked on shocked as Inuyasha passed through the gate. A moment later he put a horn to his lips and blew hard.

"RING THE BELLS! RING THE BELLS!" He shouted leaping off the tower and landing in front of the party. "Ring the bells! A Prince of the West has returned home!" He yelled over and over again as he ran up the steps to the temple.

"Wow Inuyasha... She was really serious... These people..." Kagome looked on in amazement as the steps became lined with humans and demons alike. All of them bowed to the group as they climbed the stairs slowly approaching the temple. Some of them even cried at the sight of Inuyasha.

"The Daiyoukai brought us all together in a land of peace and prosperity and gave his life to protect us. In the eyes of some elders his children are nothing less than gods heaven sent to return us to glory in these lands..." The Blood Guard explained as they climbed. "I only wish you could have known him Inuyasha-dono... He would be so proud of you... Even the Matriarch... You succeeded where even her son Sesshoumaru could not... You came to love humanity..."

"This is certainly odd to say the least..." Miroku commented as they grew near the temple. "Humans and demons living together in peace and what's more sharing their power with each other to protect that peace. This place seems more like a dream than a real place."

"Exactly why it is shrouded in a barrier and its true location hidden from man and demon alike. If it were to become known both would seek to destroy it because of their prejudices." Myoga explained proudly as they stopped in the courtyard of the temple. Seven old demons and men were gathered kneeling on the walkway in front of them.

"Inuyasha-dono... Thank you for heeding our call. I'm sure you have many questions and if you give us your time we will answer them all..." The oldest, a demon elder in the middle commented getting up slowly with the help of his apprentice.

- - - - - - - - - -

"So you need Inuyasha to release the bind keeping the old Matriarch's power trapped in her body?" Shippo wondered still sounding very confused after all had been explained.

"It would be unfair to expect Inuyasha-dono to stand in our defense after years of isolation..." The elder explained with a smile as he looked at the playful Shippo.

"If this priestess has the Shikon no Tama artifact though her safety must be a priority of ours as well..." Another elder added pensively as he eyed the necklace Kagome wore. "Truly the Banshee Queen of Darkness was imprisoned before its creation. She is cunning with many allies though. I have no doubt she will learn of it quickly and subsequently seek it for herself."

"Yes... If she still thinks the Daiyoukai lives and possessed Tenesaiga she would seek to use its power to defeat him." The eldest of the humans interjected thoughtfully.

"What does Sesshoumaru's sword have to do with this Banshee Queen?" Kagome wondered genuinely concerned. She hadn't been made fully aware of their disdain for the heir to the throne of the West.

"NEVER... utter that name in the presence of our honored elders..." Mitsugaya growled trying not to strangle the girl for her utterance.

"Mitsugaya... Be calm she doesn't know the whole story to the detail we know it..." Yet another elder soothed taking the young demoness in hand. "You'll have to forgive Mitsugaya she is very loyal to the clan and thus very... frustrated with Sesshoumaru for abandoning us..." He explained with an awkward smile that did little to hide his own anger.

"We finally found a weakness The Queen and her Clan... Our Lady's blood... Blood which can heal and bring life to the dead can slay her kind easily. Once we ascertained her kind are evolved death sprites meant to carry the dead on to the afterlife our Lord sought to forge a weapon against them. That weapon is Tenesaiga..." Before the explanation could be made in detail the doors to the room burst open and a very out of breath human boy collapsed to his knees.

"Honored elders! I mean no disrespect but... Scouts have spotted Hiyami-san... He has Lady Disetsu..." He gasped between breaths. The elders said nothing just burst to their feet and ran out of the temple. With speed men of their age shouldn't have they ran down the stairs of the city with the younger group following behind them confused. They were almost to the bottom when the young warrior appeared leaping over the wall with a sleeping girl held tight in his arms. He floated to the ground slowly but took off like a bolt as soon as his feet hit the ground. Without stopping to acknowledge them he ran past the elders and disappeared down one of the many side streets that diverged from the stairs. The elders looked at each other in awe and delight as estatic smiles crept over their faces.

"I can't believe he actually beat Sesshoumaru!" The eldest chimed doing a feeble little dance with his fellow elders. "We have hope after all!"

"Beat... Sesshoumaru?" The concept seemed foreign to all of Inuyasha's group.

- - - - - - - - - -

"HIYAMI!" Miyori gasped flying up in her bed breathless.

"I'm right here my Lady... Are you all right?" He wondered groggily from her bedside. He had been watching over her for the full day they had been back that she had been asleep.

"What happened?" She wondered tearfully as she collapsed on her old friend and hugged him tightly.

"He left..." Was all the demon could think to say to described what happened. "I'm not sure what happened really..."

"It doesn't matter does it? Because I'm home now and everything is going to be just fine!" She smiled but refused to let go of her dear friend. He was becoming very embarrassed though since she had planted his face in the middle of her chest.

"Miyori-sama?" He wondered awkwardly is he pushed gently against her arms trying to free himself. "Umm... This is quite embarrassing..." She sat up blushing once she realized what she had been doing which looking insanely cute to the demon. "I missed you so much... I'm going to protect you Miyori-sama... I promise you'll never have to leave again if you don't want to." He mused with a smile as he stood up and stretched. "You stay right there I'm going to get you something to eat and drink! Once you get your strength up we'll go talk to the elders!" She smiled warmly and nodded.

"Thank you Hiyami... For bringing me back... It's so good to be home." He just smiled and left the room.

"You're recklessness has reached a new all time high Hiyami-chan..." Mitsugaya grumbled as he came out the front door of his home.

"Mitsugaya?" He wonder a bit confused as he eyeballed her and the four other Blood Guards surrounding the door.

"Did you honestly think you could make an entrance like that and go unnoticed?" She scolded angrily but her face quickly faded to a smile. "Still though... Thank you for bringing her back with such haste." Hiyami laughed and pushed past her.

"Keep an eye on her please I'm going to get her some food." He added bolting down the street. Mitsugaya nodded and went inside. As the demon ran down the street he noticed a huge crowd had gathered around a few people. On his way by he overheard one of them utter a name that made him skid to an abrupt spot that kicked his feet out from under him. He slid to a stop in front of the demon clad in red and looked rather embarrassed.

"Inuyasha-dono! Please forgive me disrespect earlier I was in such a hurry to get our Lady taken care of I didn't even noticed you!" Hiyami stammered burning a hole in the ground with his gaze to void looking up.

"No wondered Sesshoumaru left! You people are the worst at smothering someone!" Inuyasha fumed charging off down the road.

"You'll have to forgive him... This is all a big shock for him." Kagome soothed before chasing after her friend. Hiyami watched them walk away carefully before getting up to continue his mission. "Inuyasha we should probably stay in the city! Don't you jump over that wall! SIT! Damnit he made it..."

"Lady Kagome allow us to assist you!" Several strong Blood Priests ran down the stairs to her.

"They're here..." Miyori whispered feeling rather sick to her stomach as she flew out of bed.

"Who's here?" Mitsugaya wondered looking at her confused and concerned.

"The Banshees..." Miyori yelled racing out of the house and down the road.

"CALLING ALL GUARDS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" The Blood Guard yelled gathering her own forces and following to the gate. Miyori leapt over wall next to the main door which was being locked.

"Ritual of Blood! Summoning of power... Full consumption!" She screamed as she floated down over the overwhelmed Inuyasha and his protectors. As she spoke she tore her arm open violently with her nails drawing blood. "Dance of Bleeding Blades!" She spun around in mid air raining hundreds of massive blood red shards down on the attackers annihilating half of them in one attack. She landed on a tree and flipped backwards off of it, landing between Inuyasha and the remaining attackers. Her eye were shining with a strange aura and she growled in an almost animalistic way.

"Who the Hell is that?" Inuyasha wondered eying his apparent ally and her gushing arm.

"Her power... It's so bizarre feeling..." Miroku said amazed by not only her accuracy but sheer strength.

"I'm glad she's on our side! Those blood sucking demons are scary!" Kagome squealed eying the two dead Blood Priests. Miyori's eyes were glazing over with that strange blue glow the more she bled but she wouldn't move instead she stood there bleeding watching it pool.

"RAIN OF BLOOD!" She finally screamed and she was consumed by a tower of her own blood. The tower exploded showering the attackers with a thick coat of the toxic liquid. They screamed in pain and terror before igniting in a brilliant blaze.

"What the Hell are you?" Inuyasha demanded seeing how easily she dispatched the demons.

"I am the Blood Priestess Miyori Disetsu..." She replied falling to her knees and panting weakly. "So... tired..."

"MIYORI!" Hiyami screamed dropping off the top of the wall and landing next to her. "Your body is still so weak why did you do this? We could have handled those fools..."

"I'm not... failing him again..." She replied looking up at Inuyasha and smiling. "So much... I owe him so much..."

"You're not arguing with me this time!" Hiyami demanded cutting his own finger and drawing a strange mark on her forehead.

"Ritual of blood... Sacrifice of power... input maintenance levels only..." She whispered and the mark started to glow. Hiyami let out a scream of pain as white energy floated out of him and in to her. Her wound healed completely but she had passed out from the strain of the battle. Once her wounds had healed Hiyami stopped glowing and looked at her with a gentle smile. Left weak by the ritual he picked her up as best he could but fell to his knees.

"Hey be careful that looked like it hurt!" Sango cried rushing with Kagome to him. Inuyasha and Miroku joined them grateful for her help. Inuyasha took the Blood Priestess and Sango and Miroku helped Hiyami up.

"Brother! Are you all right?" Mitsugaya wondered as the huge doors swung open and a rather large battalion stood ready to fight.

"Yeah... But she made a huge mess of the front yard." He joked with a smile. "It seems she gotten more of her old power back than we thought but she isn't ready to be released..." He added as she took over for the two humans in helping her brother walk.

"It's kinda odd... But seeing Inuyasha-dono carrying her like that... It reminds me of the Daiyoukai that day when he discovered her powers..." He mused with a smile. "Maybe... We've found more than one person suitable to lead the Tribe..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"So then... The Daiyoukai isn't there but his main consort is. He NEVER let her or that blasted sword leave his side. Then it must be as you said and he is in fact dead and the sword has passed on to his son. That is advantageous for us as it is his older son that inherited Tenesaiga. He would never come back to this place and defend them for anything." The Banshee Queen mused as she watched the victorious demons return to their city which to her looked like a forest covered mountain. "All that stands between us and the West is that girl and their beloved Matriarch..."

"Mistress we have dispatched our top agents to recover the shattered Shikon no Tama we told you about. Soon you'll have exactly what we need to turn the Matriarch's Blood into a substance we can use to make you Immortal and Invulnerable! Your rule will span well past the West to all lands!" Her accomplice and the demoness who attacked Miyori originally chirped gleefully from her position kneeling next to the Queen.

"I like the way you think Aioji..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"It's my turn now..." A very young Blood Priestess mused sitting down next to a fellow priest that was watching over Miyori. Blood dripped slowly from his hand and disappeared into the would be Matriarch. He nodded and moved so she could take his place. She pierced her hand and went on dripping blood on Miyori.

"Not all Blood Clergy are warriors like Miyori-sama... Some like these children develop the ability to heal wounds. This type is much more rare and they must be watched more closely. They are valued by the other Tribes because he can heal not only humans but demons as well." Mitsugaya explained to Inuyasha and his friends as they watched another child leave the house.

"I can see why they would be valuable to other Tribes..." Kagome commented quietly.

"Oh wow! A kitsune demon!" The little boy mused eying Shippo. "I've never seen a kitsune demon before!" He added running around Shippo to get a good look at him. SO neat!"

"My name's Shippo!" The little fox beamed proudly.

"I'm Koji! Do you want to play with me?" The little boy was obviously excited by Shippo's kindness towards him.

"Shouldn't you take it easy after losing so much blood?" The little fox worried.

"Nah... It looks like a lot more than it really is because it takes so long to complete that kind of healing ritual. I'm fine!" Koji beamed happily.

"All right then! Hey Kagome! Come get me when she wakes up! I want to thank her for helping us!" Shippo and Koji ran off down the street and disappeared.

"He's an odd little fox." Mitsugaya giggled watching them run away. "The guise of an adult and the heart of a child. How amusing and cute."

"That's Shippo for you." Sango replied with a smile.

"Lady Blood Guard... If I may I have been wondering about something since this whole situation was brought to our attention completely." Miroku interjected thoughtfully.

"Yes monk?" She answered looking at him expectantly.

"If Inuyasha's Father sealed the demonic power of his wife in Miyori-san don't you think there's a reason behind that? One that we shouldn't trifle with?" He asked genuinely concerned about the answer.

"We speculate that because she was so young he didn't want Miyori to become a target of the attacks of our enemies. By confining her power and making her appear human she was perceived as a low threat target and overlooked when she traveled with him. Many elders since have been concerned about the effects the release of so much demonic power would have on her body though. That maybe why he took her out of the relative safety of our sanctuary here... To make her stronger." The Blood Guard was becoming more concerned herself as she spoke. "Truthfully we can't be certain his reason or what will happen to her when the bind is released..." The thought made her very sad and she turned away.

"You've known her a long time haven't you?" Sango wondered rubbing the demoness on the back.

"She was the best friend my brother and I ever had. She was always so kind to us it was hard for us to not fall in love with her. I don't think they would have tried the ritual on us if it hadn't been for her..." Hiyami interjected quietly as he pulled himself up in bed and calling out the open door to his house.

"Ritual?" Kagome wondered sitting down next to him and dabbing his sweaty forehead with a wet cloth.

"My brother and I were half demons like Inuyasha-dono. We entered a blood pact with the Matriarch and the ritual made us full demons. After our successful pacts were made the Blood Guards were born from other half demons making a pact." Mitsugaya explained sitting down on her brother's bed.

"Half demons?! Really?" Sango gasped and the three humans shot a look to Inuyasha. He looked as shocked as they were but at the same time wheels were turning in his head.

"I didn't think such a things was truly possible!" Miroku shook his head. "This whole thing just keeps getting more unbelievable with each passing second! I swear if I'm in a dream Sango slap me!" She slapped him all right but he had been squeezing her hiney the whole time he had been talking. "Well this is certainly real... Or that familiar feeling is so ingrained in my memory I can feel it in my sleep..." The little Blood Priestess giggled quietly and tried to keep her arm straight.

"You have some funny friends Inuyasha-dono!" She mused smiling at the half demon. "I like them!"

"I like them too." He replied quietly with a slight smile. The whole day had made him extremely uneasy and confused.

"I'm going to train now..." Hiyami sighed getting out of bed and stretching a little. "You should come with me Inuyasha-dono... You look like you could use a distraction." He smiled and pulled the half demon out the door and down the street.

"Hiyami! Stop being so disrespectful to our Prince!" Mitsugaya cried angrily after them. She only got a few steps before she remembered she had been assigned to guard Miyori. She growled then turned around and marched back to the house she shared with her brother. "Indignant disrespectful little wretch! How he's survived this long..." The little priestess giggled again completely unfazed by the powerful demon's raging red eyes.

"Kurokage-sama looks funny when she's mad!" Mitsugaya sighed and chuckled at the little one which diffused her anger.

"Would all of you like a tour of the city?" She wondered looking at Kagome and the others. "If you're going to be staying here awhile it might be good to get a feel for the layout."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Sango chirped standing up.

"Yeah! But don't you have to stay here and watch Miyori-san?" Kagome added concerned.

"Basame... You're the last one they're sending aren't you?" The Blood Guard wondered looking at the little Priestess.

"Yes Kurokage-sama!" She beamed in response as she pulled her arm back and rubbed the small bleeding spot in her hand. "Can I show them around?" She added excitedly as she hopped up and hugged the demoness. She was jumping up and down and was so excited, her exuberance made the General laugh.

"Yes... Just make sure you don't run them ragged! If you go too fast they won't remember where anything is!"

"I'll go nice and slow and do an extra good job." The little girl bowed gracefully and smiled. "I have to do a good job for our new friends! That would make Inuyasha-dono happy!" She took Kagome and Sango's hands and pulled them gently along. "Come Miss Priestess! Come on Miss Demonhunter! You too creepy Monk!"

"Creepy monk... I'm liking this girl more and more each second..." Sango muttered eying Miroku viciously.

"Young children just can't appreciate my adult tendencies..." Miroku barked in his defense.

- - - - - - - - - -

"So Inuyasha-dono... You looked a little antsy back there... This training field is only open to Blood Guards so you'll be safe here for awhile." Hiyami called to his companion as he took off his Blood Guard armor and sat it in a corner of the walled training field. The insignias on his shoulders were the same as his sister's but the one on the back of his armor marked him as a Lieutenant-General.

"Yeah thanks... This whole situation has made me really irritated." Inuyasha sighed surveying the field. He was standing on the half that was lined with grass and dirt. It was packed down by hundreds of years of trampling feet. In front of him Hiyami was stacking his armor by the elevated half that was lined with bloodstained white stone.

"I can understand how so much sudden and unwanted attention could be an irritant to someone like you. Your friends have been the most company you've had for the majority of your life as I understand it." Miyami responded as he took off his black kimono and draped it on his armor. His body was riddled with the scars of the battles he'd fought in the past which made Inuyasha aware he would be a formidable sparring partner.

"Yeah... I kinda like it that way though." The half demon replied looking around some more.

"Well then... Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're my Prince!" Hiyami cried with a smirk as he lunged forward starting the battle.

"Shit you're fast!" Inuyasha groaned as he skidded back a sizable distance from the Blood Guard impacting Tetsusaiga. "You're even faster than Kouga when he had shards in his legs! I couldn't even see you coming like I can with him!"

"I've been training the same way every day for hundreds of years as part of my ritual to watch over Miyori's tomb and safeguard her. I would run all the way from here to the far north and back twice each day on top of training my fighting skills." He replied with a grin. "I'm the fastest thing on two legs in all the West..."

"You maybe fast but that won't save you from the Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha beamed unleashing the attack on his opponent. The attack hit with one of the beams but was deflected out and away from his opponent hitting the ground and leaving scorched potholes everywhere. When the youki faded Hiyami looked out with a smile.

"I actually had to ramp up my barrier fist for that..." He smirked shaking the glow off his hand. It was a little scorched but no worse for the wear considering it took the brunt of the attack. "I'm not holding back so neither should you!" He yelled leaping into the air. "Blades of Fate!" He yelled sending three blades back down to the earth. The hanyou dodged one and deflected the other with his sword but the third exploded right in front of him. He flew backward in the air and flipped to regain his orientation. "Surely he's stronger than that!" The Blood Guard thought to himself worried. He brushed it off and dove straight down to his opponent. He bounced off the sword and flipped behind Inuyasha. With a swift kick he sent the hanyou flying through the air. The Blood Guard sighed and spun around gracefully. "End of Days!" He yelled forming a huge vortex of energy that he sent right for Inuyasha.

"Bakuryuha!" The hanyou yelled unleashing his sword's ultimate power on his opponent. "Come on... Go go go!" He thought watching the attack struggle to push back the full demon's. Instead of turning it back at Hiyami the wave caused both attacks to disperse.

"I think in this regard your Father had a grave choice of judgment... Without someone to train you to use your true powers you can't overcome your human side..." The Blood Guard didn't sound disappointed, he sounded sad more than anything and his eyes reflected that. As he walked over the smoldering earth toward a bewildered Inuyasha. "Would you... let me teach you to use the demonic powers inside you?" He wondered holding out his hand to his panting opponent.

"Is that even possible? You threw away your human side and became a full demon to become stronger..." Inuyasha sounded indignant and even angry at the offer as he batted Hiyami's hand away.

"It's true... We wanted to become stronger than half demons to help protect our beloved home from the growing number of enemies that were piling up. We never thought entering a blood pact would do this... Give us this kind of power... Truthfully... We didn't even think we would survive... After all I've seen and lived through though, I know in my heart I'm still human deep down. No amount of youki or physical strength can change the fact that in my heart I feel as a human feels and value what a human values." His voice sounded far off as if his mind were elsewhere when he talked. "I don't regret becoming this... But even if I hadn't I would still seek to become stronger by every reasonable means to protect what I love. So... Inuyasha-dono are we really any different?" It was true and Inuyasha knew it.

"How do we start this training of yours?" Inuyasha finally said at an almost inaudible volume after a few long moments of silence. Hiyami turned back to him and smiled gently.

"You won't regret this choice..." He replied before drilling Inuyasha in the stomach and prying Tetsusaiga away from him. "Please forgive me this process can be unpleasant..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"I see... So what do you think will happen if she is unbound?" Sesshoumaru wondered as he sat across a fire from an old old dog demon.

"The answer to that is quite simple. If she is too weak she will be destroyed by the power she contains. If she isn't killed by it she'll lose her mind and won't stop until the energy is spent or she dies." The old demon replied in a long slow drawl.

"And that is what my Father sought to prevent..." The Daiyoukai commented no longer paying attention to the old wretch.

"There is one possible way to avoid such an ill fate for the poor girl... However it would mean forever leaving the Tribe vulnerable without a true Matriarch. Or..." Sesshoumaru cocked his eyebrow and waited for an explanation. "Splitting the power would leave the Tribe weak... Or passing it on completely to a full demon as it was passed on to her and then reviving her with Tenesaiga..." He coughed for a moment. "The choice is yours truthfully Sesshoumaru-dono... Only you who has the most of your Father's blood can remove the bind... Of that I am certain."

"Well I suppose I should go retrieve her before those fools end up doing something rash... Like trying to find HIM to remove it..." Sesshoumaru sighed getting up.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five: Awakening Power**_

"I really don't think this is a good idea..." Mitsugaya conceded as Miyori stared her down.

"You're the only one I can trust to test me properly!" Miyori called back with intensity in her eyes. "Since I've been back people have babied me like I'm a child! I need to know how strong I am! If I'm a match for you then I just might be able control this power!"

"I understand milady... I will not hold back then..." The Blood Guard sighed and stripped out of her armor.

"I'm not expecting you to... In fact... I'm counting on it... Ritual of Blood... Summoning of power... FULL ACTIVATION!" She cut her hand with a dagger then threw it away. Before she could even think of doing anything Mitsugaya was almost on her ready to strike. She narrowly dodged and spun around to grab her opponent's arm before she could strike again. She threw the demoness across the field but she recovered quickly from the attack. "Blood Armor!" Quickly the priestess smeared blood on her face and fists and it crystallized into armor. A huge spike formed on both hands and she thrust one forward to counter the demoness's charge. She missed but it opened up the opportunity for her to form an attack. "Crimson Flood!" Red energy surged up and out of both spikes and charged at Mitsugaya with great speed. One hit but she deflected the other with a shield like Hiyami had used on Inuyasha.

"Blades of Fate!" The General's attack was just like her brother's only she sent out four blades which spoke to her strength over her younger brother. The Blood Priestess hopped over one then did the most incredible thing. She made a barrier on her feet and hopped on top of the next closest blade and rode it away from the other two. As it hit the ground she jumped into the air and used the force of the blast to project herself forward. As she lunged forward she screened her movement with a wall of blood. The Blood Guard leapt away from where the wall was pointed in time to see Miyori drive a spike into the hardened earth. She broke the tip off with a swift kick rather than waste time trying to pull it out. "End of Days!" The supercharged attack raced towards its target but Miyori didn't move. This was what she was waiting for... Mitsugaya's strongest attack. If she could hold up against then she might just be strong enough. At the last second she drove the bloody spikes into the vortex and stopped it dead though it still swirled and sought to kill her. She gritted her teeth and dug her feet into the ground to keep from being pushed back.

"Sacred... Summoning... Void of Chaos!" A dark circle slowly started forming around the Blood Priestess though it wavered greatly and seemed it would fail. She tried focusing her will on forming the attack but her blood blades were cracking apart faster and faster the more they were exposed to the youki of the attack. Before she could complete the summoning her blades broke completely and the attack overtook her.

"Hiyami!" She screeched out of utter shock as she found herself flying through the air instead of being consumed by the attack. "Sugoi! You're so fast now!" She looked at the ground in utter shock as they came to rest on the wall surrounding the training grounds.

"Haha... I told you I would get stronger too while you were gone... I've had a lot more time to train though." He laughed sitting her down on the flat top of the thick wall. His happy demeanor did little to bring her happy face back as the realization that she had failed struck her hard. She jumped down off the wall and ran back to Mitsugaya.

"Please train me Mitsugaya-sama!" She pleaded dropping to her knees and grabbing the demoness by the hand. The Blood Guard looked at her shocked and utterly speechless. "Please! Until I can become powerful enough to be the Matriarch you outrank me! As my superior I'm begging you to make me your apprentice and teach me to be strong like you! I'm just... just... a Blood Priestess..." She sobbed as emotion charged her every word. Mitsugaya dropped to her knees and wrapped her strong arms around the sobbing girl and hugged her tightly.

"Silly Miyo-chan... You don't have to beg me... You know if you asked I would bring down mountains and cross seas for you..." She replied trying not to cry herself. "Your first order! Stop crying! Warrior's are strong in both heart and body!" She snapped standing up.

"Yes Master Kurokage!" Miyori answered wiping her face and quickly standing up.

- - - - - - - - - -

"It must be really hard knowing the fate of your entire tribe rests on your shoulders..." Kagome sighed watching the two ladies spar.

"It's not very far from the burden you carry with the Shikon no Tama though really. We saw the devastation just the intent to get it can cause..." Sango replied matter of factly.

"That's true... If Naraku had actually been able to use it I shudder to think of what he could have down to the world..." Miroku interjected solemnly.

"This Naraku sounds to be almost as vile as the Banshee Queen... Although he found a way to resurrect himself over and over... She can't be killed by any conventional means..." Hiyami commented returning to Inuyasha and his group who sat on the elevated part of the training area. He started stripping down in preparation for his own training for the day. Miyori noticed him and stopped her own training briefly to go to him.

"Hiyami... Please stay here today... I have a very bad feeling that the Banshee clan is lurking around keeping tabs on us... If they get to know your routine they'll surely attack you when you're least expecting it!" She pleaded quite worried looking. He looked at her oddly then smiled and nodded.

"You bring up a good point... I'll stay here today and spar with Inuyasha-dono then." She smiled then ran back to Mitsugaya.

"Everyone is taking this very seriously I see..." The eldest of the village mused plopping down on the ledge with his cane in hand and apprentice in toe.

"Well I figure since we're here I might as well try to learn some new techniques..." Inuyasha quipped to hide his real motives for training with the Blood Guard. Hiyami exercised great discretion in not pointing those motives out. Instead he walked away and waited for Inuyasha to join him.

"Are you sure it's wise to fight without Tetsusaiga?" Kagome wondered as the hanyou handed her the sword.

"Hiyami is teaching me how to control my demonic power so if I ever lose Tetstusaiga again I won't turn into a monster. If I can learn to control that primal power then I can channel it into my normal attacks." Inuyasha explained cracking his knuckles.

"And thus becoming more powerful over all..." Miroku mused following his friend's chain of thought.

"You know Miss Kagome... You could have a talk with our High Priestess at the temple. She could help you develop your holy powers so you can rely less on your bow and arrows..." The elder mused happily smiling at the miko.

"Yeah her aim is terrible!" Inuyasha jeered as he walked away. Kagome's temple popped and she clenched her fist angrily.

"SIT!" Inuyasha faced planted garnering a laugh from Hiyami. The Blood Guard had resolved to treat Inuyasha as normally as he could bring himself to in order to try to make the Prince more comfortable in his new surroundings.

"Oh my..." The elder gasped in feign embarrassment for instigating such a scene.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sesshoumaru-sama... Are you sure this village you're looking for is here?" Jakken wondered carefully trying not to offend his master. "All I see is a wooded mountain..."

"Naturally you wouldn't be able to see it..." Was the answer he got as the Daiyoukai pressed on. "The barrier isn't rejecting me so we should be able to see it soon..." He added sounding as surprised as he could in his normal demeanor. "Ah I see now... It's on the other side after all... No matter..."

"At least it's warm here!" Rin mused snatching flowers from the side of the path as they went.

- - - - - - - - - -

It had been over a week since Inuyasha and Miyori had started their training and they were making great progress. Today they had resolved to try a tag team battle against their trainers.

"Is there anything I should know to avoid?" Miyori wondered as she and Inuyasha stood next to each other staring down their teachers.

"Not really... I don't usually start a fight with a plan..." Inuyasha replied simply as he gripped Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Just stay out of my way..."

"Do you think you can cover me while I complete my summoning ritual?" She wonder rolling up her sleeves to her shoulders.

"I'll try but Hiyami is really fast..." Inuyasha grimaced thinking about all the times that super speed had done him in during his training.

"Your Kaze no Kizu utilizes the point at which your youki touches another demon's does it not? Well instead of using it to find a point to attack that won't last use it to ascertain his position... Every time you sense his youki bounce off of yours follow it until you can sense his style of movement." She offered cheerfully as she stretched briefly.

"That's a really good idea..." Inuyasha commented a little stunned that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"That's how I would beat him at tag when we were younger." She mused giggling a little. "Well Are you ready?" Inuyasha nodded and they entered fighting stances.

"So... shall we do as we planned?" Mitsugaya wondered spying her brother out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah... I'll take Miyori and you take Inuyasha-dono..." He replied looking at their opponents intently.

"Are you sure you can attack her fully given your feelings for her?"

"I'll have to... It's the only way we can know for sure if she's ready." He replied with a furrowed brow as he dropped into fighting stance. "I just hope... They can both unlocked their true power soon." The siblings charged in unison and crossed paths so they could attack the right opponent. Inuyasha was clearly confused as the General dug her claws into the scabard of his sword instead of Hiyami. He threw the demoness over his head and spun around in time to see Miyori hit the wall hard. He had to find a way to buy her sometime to get her blood ritual done. Given the circumstances he did the only thing he could think to do...

"KAZE NO KIZU!" The attack was easily dodged by both demons though it became obvious that the attack was meant to disrupt Hiyami's second charge on Miyori. The attack went straight for her but she rolled out of the way at the last second using the attack to cut her hand.

"Ritual of blood... Summoning of power... FULL ACTIVATION!" She had just enough time to invoke her power before Hiyami was on her again. She bolted out of the way but just as quickly he bounced off the ground and straight for her.

"Blades of Fate!" He used the attack to break up the ground in front of her making it hard to escape easily. She hopscotched over the pits but he skated right over them. Just as he was about to dig his claws into her back Inuyasha jumped between them. The force of demon hitting Tetsusaiga sent him flying out of the way of Mitsugaya's attack which hit her brother instead.

"Are you all right?" The hanyou wondered as he skid to stop in front of the breathless Blood Priestess. She nodded and summoned her blood armor. "Good cover me then!" He charged after the demons as they staggered to their feet.

"End of Days!" The siblings cried in unison unleashing their ultimate attacks at once.

"BAKURYUHA!" Inuyasha shouted though he had little hope himself of repelling both attacks with it. To his surprise it held for more than an instant. That's when he noticed strange red sparks from the middle of the cyclones. They were coming together instead of charging forward. "What the Hell..."

"Ultimate Summoning! Crucible of Wills!" Miyori shouted from behind him as all the youki swirled together into a huge unavoidable mass. "Shatter on the four winds!" The cyclone split into four and swirled around the siblings trapping them. Seeing his opportunity Inuyasha leapt into the air over the attack.

"KAZE NO KIZU!" He sent the attack straight down the middle rupturing the cyclones making them explode all at once in a massive attack that sent him flying back. He landed hard on top of Miyori and the both fell to the ground. The explosion had left Inuyasha dazed and the sheer effort required to contain that much power had caused blood to come out of Miyori's ears and nose.

"That was impressive but not quite enough to beat us..." A haggard looking Hiyami replied landing a few yards away and putting his sister down. Miyori wrapped her bladed hands around Inuyasha in very motherly way as she slumped over him weakly.

"I can not lose... There is no more time..." She whispered as a faint blue glow welled up from the ground around her. White streaks crept through her hair as she shattered one of her blood blades and let the liquid fall on Inuyasha. "Ritual of Healing... The liquid glowed fiercely for a second and Inuyasha started to stir. "Stay still..." She growled quietly as she hugged him tight.

"What is she doing? This isn't the power taking over her on its own..." Hiyami looked on pensively as he tried to ascertain what was happening. "What should we do Sister?"

"Wait and see what she's doing and attack once we know." She replied intensely as she to had her eyes affixed on the Blood Priestess.

"I can't control this power on my own so I need you to do it for me..." She whispered to Inuyasha as she let go of him and he stood up.

"What do you want me to do?" He wondered as he gripped his sword in front of him ready to attack.

"Your inner demon wants out... If you release it I can feed you this power... But you have to hurry or I'll have to lock it up again and we'll lose." She muttered as her voice became more strained.

"I'm... not ready for that..." He growled in response angry at himself for what he became when he lost control.

"You're you whether you're a man or a demon... You're you... That part of you is a manifestation of your hate and rage and malice... If you can control them as you are now... You can control it when you unleash your demonic half." She whispered standing up slowly. "Just remember what you're fighting for..."

"I can't do it! Not yet!" Inuyasha yelled clenching his hand around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles were white.

"You can..." She covered his mouth with her bloody hand and her hair went pure white. His body grew weak in the presence of the strange power she was exuding and he couldn't break away.

"A blood pact?!" The siblings shouted with equal shock in unison.

"We have to stop her! She could kill him!" Mitsugaya shouted desperately as he raced forward. He was batted away like a fly by the strange blue energy she was giving off.

"MIYORI STOP! You don't know what you're doing!" Mitsugaya yelled in a vain effort to get through to the Blood Priestess.

"This day I deem your heart is pure and worthy of this gift I give unto you. This day arise and face your fate with power it can not abate." The hanyou couldn't help but swallow some of her blood and choke on even more of it as he tried to breathe. "Drink this gift to your very soul. Against our enemies exact this toll... With this pact written in blood on this day we become one!" She let go of him and he fell to the ground gasping for air and spitting out blood.

"It didn't take?" Hiyami wondered falling back to his sister.

"I don't think she intended to make a full pact..." The General answered confused. Inuyasha stood up with blood red eyes and jagged marks on his cheeks. He looked at his talons in wondered then smirked.

"Ritual of Blood... Sacred Pact... POWER SIPHON!" The Priestess screamed and Inuyasha lunged forward faster and stronger than ever. He easily bashed Mitsugaya right into the far wall and shot away from her in time to grab Hiyami's hand and throw him to the ground. The siblings rallied together and sought to attack at once but that as well failed. After several long moments of heated fighting it became clear that they couldn't defeat him. They landed several yards away smiling though they now ached from the wounds he had given them.

"I think that's enough... There's nothing else we can teach you..." Mitsugaya mused dropping to her knees. Miyori acknowledge the concession and severed her ties with Inuyasha and ended her use of the power the choker on her neck bound. To Inuyasha's surprise even though he could feel her presence leaving him he still felt more powerful than ever. It was then that he realized that he was controlling his demon half completely on his own for the first time. He pushed down the power and his eyes and face went back to normal. He turned and looked at the Blood Priestess who was no worse for the wear aside from all the blood on her face and clothes.

"Thanks..." He called as he walked over to her.

"You can thank me by taking this thing off... It kinda itches." She giggled pointing to the choker. He sheathed his sword and knelt down in front of her. With both hands firm on the choker he gave it a stern tug. For a second it seemed he would remove it until Miyori screamed in pain and utter agony and Inuyasha was sent flying into the Blood Guard siblings. The Priestess herself was sent flying into the stone of the elevated portion of the training field and embedded herself in it.

"Alas... It seems only Sesshoumaru can release her..." The elder sighed sadly as he hung his head. "Perhaps there is hope in Inuyasha but that hope is dim at the moment..." He added as everyone else bolted off the platform to help the others.

"She's not breathing! Sango hold my hair I have to preform CPR!" Kagome screamed after they had pulled Miyori out of the wall.

"I'll check on Inuyasha!" Miroku called racing to the three fallen demons.

"Miyori..." Hiyami whispered reaching out to her. "MIYORI! WAKE UP!!!" He yelled and she started coughing violently.

"Thank goodness..." Mitsugaya sighed with relief. "Are you all right Inuyasha-dono?" She wondered helping the hanyou to his feet.

"Yeah everything but my hands... They're pretty well fried..." He winced as she inspected his scorched hands and turned them over.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Damn it... damn it... damn it... damn it!" Hiyami seethed growling each time he pounded a fist into the stone wall of the training field. He had been pounding the wall for quite awhile now and was leaving bloody streaks on the white surface.

"You aren't accomplishing much more than denting our beautifully constructed defense mechanism..." The elder mused plopping down behind the young demon. "You'll continue to accomplish nothing if you stew like this too... You want to protect her and save her do you not? Then wouldn't this time be better spent thinking of an alternative? Given how you feel about her if anyone could do it you could..." The last sentence echoed in the demon's ears and he slammed both fists into the wall at once.

"Tenesaiga..." He spun around and took off back to town with the speed he had become known for.

"That's not what I meant!" The elder called after him but he was already too far gone. "Bah! What is it with kids these days?! Always rushing off to their deaths!"

"Lord Hiyami!" A wore out scout called as she collapsed on one of the many steps that made the main causeway of the town. The demon skidded to a stop and ran back up to her. "HE was spotted on the far side of the mountain yesterday heading this way... What should we do?"

"Let him come..." The Lieutenant General replied with a vicious look on his face. "Let him come and face his end..."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six: Desperation**_

"You wanted to see me Hiyo-chan?" Mitsugaya wondered as she knelt down next to Hiyori's bed. She gently held her friend's hand and smiled warmly.

"There's a very important favor I want to ask you..." The Blood Priestess started slowly and couldn't seem to look up from the spot on the bed she had affixed her eyes. "It seems as though this body of mine really can't handle the power no matter how strong I become." The General opened her mouth to protest but Miyori used her free hand to cover the demoness's mouth. "I know that you have become a pillar of strength and leadership in the tribe... More than that you are someone I have always sensed I could trust you... Because of that I feel you are the only person I can ask to do this. I want you to kill me and take this power..." The Blood Guard was completely stunned not just by what she had just been asked but by the fact the person asking, was smiling!

"Hiyo-chan... I couldn't do that to you!" She stammered in response as tears welled up in her eyes. Miyori kept on smiling and held her friend's face in her hands.

"Please Mitsie-chan... This is... the only thing I can do to ensure our great Lord's legacy survives. All the battles I fought with him and enemies I helped him slay. I can not sit here a let it all fall away... More than that though I can not allow this beautiful world I saw with him fall into her rule... Please Mitsie-chan... for the sake of our beautiful world... kill me..."

"Hi...yor...i..." The General swallowed hard and firmed up as best she could. "It is the highest honor I have ever had in my life to have known you. I feel privileged for you to have such faith in me. I promise you with every fiber of my being I will strive to not let you down." She went on once she had regained her composure and resolution.

"I know..." The miko smiled happily and held her wrist out to her friend. "Take from me this blood and power. May you use it well to protect that which we love..." Mitsugaya looked down hesitantly for a moment then bit down as hard as she could on her friend's wrist. Tears rolled down the solemn gaze they both bore as the life slowly drained from Miyori's face.

- - - - - - - - - -

"That's odd... I was positive that we would at least encounter some scouts by now..." Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he came to a stop where he thought the town should be. He was a bit surprised when doors appeared and slowly creaked open beside him just enough for a body to fit through.

"Wow! That's so neat!" Rin mused gazing on the doors amazed. She seemed even more amazed when a demon looking like Sesshoumaru passed through the doors. "He looks just like you Sesshoumaru-sama!" She grinned and pointed at the red and black armored demon.

"He is nothing like me Rin... He is a false demon." The Daiyoukai replied sounding distinctly annoyed.

"False demon or not I have a wager for you Sesshoumaru..." The demon called as he came to a stop a few yards away.

"Why should I waste my time with a wager against someone like you?" The Demon Lord hissed turning to face the annoyance.

"Because your name has been stricken from the record and you can not pass without me... Hence you can not reclaim your prize as long as she's inside." Hiyami called back with a smug smile.

"What are the terms of this wager?" Sesshoumaru growled realizing he couldn't argue this point. The barrier surrounding the city could scorch even the most formidable demon so long as the channelers were alive and well.

"A fight to the death... If you win you get Miyori... If I win I get Tenensaiga..." Sesshoumaru chuckled ever so slightly.

"It's hard to decide if you are fool-hearty enough or foolish enough to propose a wage that you can not win with terms like that. Is this miserable rock and that wretched girl worth your life?" He called back returning to his stoic form.

"You're here for her aren't you?" The Blood Guard called back with a smirk written on his features. "So do we have a wager?"

"We do... But we fight inside the city so I can be assured my prize when I win."

"The channelers have been instructed to strike you down if you try to harm anyone but me..." Hiyami mused smugly before nodding as a signal to open the doors.

A huge crowd gathered on the walls and around the Blood Guard training field. Everyone in the tribe had a stake in the result of this battle and they wanted to know how it ended. More than anything though, the demons present still felt ill-will toward Sesshoumaru for leaving them to fend for themselves with an elected leader. Boos and chants reflecting these feelings could be heard even outside of the training grounds from those who couldn't fit inside. He wasn't the least bit fazed by it, he hated them as much as they hated him so their feelings mattered not. All that mattered to him in that moment was crushing this insect and ridding himself of this place once again.

"The terms have been set! No other weapons, no magic, just hand to hand and claw to claw combat! May the best warrior win!" The elder cried over the din and the battle was set to start.

"Hiyami! What the Hell do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha seethed from atop the elevated portion of the grounds. "If Sesshoumaru is losing to anyone... it's going to be me!" He beamed leaping down and landing next his teacher.

"With all due respect Inuyasha-dono... whatever grudge you have against Sesshoumaru, it's not worth risking the well-being of the entire tribe..." Hiyami replied calmly before surging forward. Inches away from impacting a smirking Sesshoumaru, they were both knocked to the ground as a huge tremor rocked the entire mountain. A massive column of light shot up from the middle of the town and hit the top of the barrier. Sparks of energy rained down showering the entire city in blue light setting an eerie tone to the afternoon sun. Hiyami let out a scream wrought with pain and he clutched his chest.

"MIYORI!!!" He screamed over and over as he rolled around on the ground writhing in pain from some injury no one could see. Sesshoumaru eyed the beam for just a second before bolting toward it.

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha yelled lunging and catching his brother, surprising both of the siblings as they fell to the ground.

"Let's go! Kirara!" Sango ordered and the cute little demon transformed taking the Demonhunter and miko to the air. Miroku followed close behind hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Inuyasha struggled to keep his brother pinned down but was quickly batted away and Sesshoumaru took off again. A flash of burning light shot past all of them and landed with a crash and cloud of dust near the light. As the others drew close the light faded and disappeared. A terrible scream of emotional agony echoed off the walls of the town and could be heard everywhere the city stretched.

"Miyori... No..." Hiyami had taken the lifeless and pale Blood Priestess up in his arms and was rocking back and forth sobbing into her hair.

"Oh no! What happened?" Kagome screeched dropping to Mitsugaya's side and holding her gently. Blood lingered and dripped from her mouth but Kagome wiped it away with the cuff of her sleeve.

"She tried to give me the matriarch's power... She thought maybe... if a true demon had it... they could use it..." Mitsugaya replied weakly as she coughed every so often. "I guess though... We failed... I'm sorry... The seal it's just too powerful. Our Lord... so strong..." She coughed one last time and fell limp in the miko's arms.

"I still don't understand what any of you find so appealing about this miserable hole... However far be it for me to prevent fools from throwing themselves needlessly into the grips of Hell..." Sesshoumaru sighed pulling out Tenesaiga and giving it a swing. Mitsugaya woke up instantly gasping and coughing. The sword that can heal 100 men did nothing to Miyori though...

"It didn't work on her? Why?" Hiyami wondered looking at his dearest friend in confusion. Sesshoumaru sheathed the sword and looked down at the Blood Priestess pensively. He could see that the harbingers of death were swarming on her like locusts. He wanted to fulfill his debt to her so he could be rid of the guilt that allowed her to have some strange hold on him. He sighed finally deciding that the only way to bring her back was to unseal the bind on her. Obviously if she's dead the lesser demons of the dead would want to keep her that way to appease their queen. She needed to be strong enough to break free of them on her own and that required more than he really wanted to do.

"If this is what you really want... If you're so willing to throw your life away I won't stop you. You're still weak but at least you're strong enough to willingly face death." Sesshoumaru whispered taking the girl from Hiyami's hands gently. "That is the girl I knew... The only human I ever respected... The girl my Father took away from me..." He bent down and kissed her on the forehead as he unlocked the bind around her neck. He stood up slowly and smiled slightly as one by one the demons of death swarming her vaporized in a blazing fire. "With this Tenesaiga I release you... Matriarch of the Dog Demon Tribe..." He commented in passing as he again drew the sword and swung it over the fallen girl.

Everyone looked on with their full attention only to be blown back against the walls of the small house by an intense wave of energy. Once the sheer shock of what had happened faded, they looked on and saw that Tenesaiga had embedded in the ground and now glowed fiercely. The choker that Sesshoumaru had removed from around Miyori's neck had somehow re-affixed itself to her. Some unseen force was causing her to levitate in the air, clearly breathing she was alive but unmoving. "The power this girl is binding is far greater than that of my beloved..." The Inu no Taishou replied as his ghostly visage appeared hovering behind Tenesaiga. The sword had evidently tore open a portal between the world of life and death allowing him to pass through. "I forbid anyone from removing that bind but Miyori Disetsu. I pray that she finds a way to use the power she was been given by my beloved... The curse however..."

"Father...?" Inuyasha whispered awe struck as he gazed on one half of his genetic upbringing.

"Hey there kiddo... Keep on getting stronger... Don't let me down... This land is yours now just as much as your brother's and it would honor me if you protect it..." The formidable looking demon's spirit smiled but his eyes never left Miyori's pale face. "Stop beating yourself up... You did everything I ever asked of you no matter how unhappy it made you... All I ever wanted to do was keep you safe... For her... She loved you..." He looked like he would cry thinking about his beloved first wife as he rubbed Miyori's hair. "Now do her proud and wake up..." He had bent down to one knee and whispered his parting words in her ear. There was a blinding flash of light and he was gone, Tenesaiga had stopped glowing, and Miyori had fallen to the ground.

"Daiyoukai-dono..." She whispered with a groggy smile as she struggled to open her eyes. "I had the strangest vision... I was standing at the gate to the after life and he shot out of it and pulled me back into my body... I think I died and he brought me back..." She went on rolling on her side and wincing. Her eyes shot open as she spied a crying and no different looking Mitsugaya. "It didn't work did it?" She gasped sadly.

"No... and I'm so glad it didn't!" The demoness burst out as she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Hiyo-chan..." Hiyami whispered crawling over and doing the same. "Don't ever scare me like that again..."

"Well it looks like I'll be staying longer than I anticipated..." Sesshoumaru commented annoyed as he wrenched his sword out of the ground.

"What reason do you have to stay?" Kagome wondered looking at the uncharacteristically sad looking Demon Lord.

"I have aspirations to discover all of my Father's secrets and undo them... The true power that she's containing is extreme if he would risk coming here from the Afterlife... That is a power worth looking into... Don't you think... miko?" He quipped with acid dripping off of his every word. "Besides... I still owe her now that he had to intervene..."

"Owe her?" Sango wondered as he started walking away.

"Admittedly I owe her my life from when we were young..." Was all he said as he passed on down the street.

"Sesshoumaru was attacked in an attempt to kidnap him by the Banshees. Miyori intervened and healed his injuries but it almost killed her... Not long after the Daiyoukai left with Miyori saying he was going to strengthen the borders... Rumors swirled though that he was looking for something but died before he could find it." Mitsugaya explained answering the confusion on Inuyasha and his companion's faces.

"The Demon Souls... The origins of all demons... The Dog Demon Tribe is the chosen tribe of the West... Direct descendants unaltered by time or corruption chosen to maintain order in the West by the Demon Soul who claimed it. He told me the night before I was kidnapped that if he could find it he could rid me of the "curse." But he never told me what that curse was." Miyori gasped as if the memory was new to her or perhaps had been lost.

"Well that certainly does shed some light on the situation. Perhaps we could go out and try to find this Demon Soul of the West while we finish collecting the Shikon no Tama shards." Miroku suggested as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"But we have no idea where to start looking!" Shippo protested with a worried expression as he ran over and hopped in Kagome's arms.

"Mortals wouldn't however... Before he left my Lord told me he had a lead on the location of the Western Demon Soul..." The old demon elder mused as he appeared in the doorway. "If you truly think you're up to the challenge of retrieving it and bringing it here... Then I will tell you where to go. Of course it might not even be there... Inuyasha will be the third generation of Tribe leaders to search for it."

"I'm more concerned with what will happen to this town if the Banshee Queen attacks!" Sango interjected with even more concern than Shippo wore.

"I wouldn't worry about that..." Miyori smiled and patted Hiyami's arm. "Daiyoukai-dono wasn't the only person who met me at the gateway to the Afterlife. Besides... The power radiating off of Tenesaiga alone is poison to the Banshees. As long as its here they would be foolish to attack us."

"I think we'll be fine if you wish to leave we won't try to keep you." Hiyami added standing up. "You did us a great honor by even coming here." He added reaching out and hugging Inuyasha and Kagome tightly. "Thank you..." The moment grew increasingly awkward as both of them blushed brightly and pulled away.

"Well then tonight let us celebrate a grand reunion! For the first time ever both the Prince's of the West have come home together and we have a new Matriarch!" The Elder beamed dancing a little as he wondered down the road. "Go on and tell everyone my dear apprentice!" The young Blood Priest nodded then ran off ahead.

The night was full of good food and dancing. Though Sesshoumaru merely participated because he was forced to by Rin he was mildly amused by the display. "Wow look Sesshoumaru-sama! Isn't Miyo-chan a great dancer?" She purred as she watched Mitsugaya and Miyori perform the town's traditional dance of thanksgiving. He couldn't lie to himself, for a human she had superb grace and confidence that flowed out of her when she danced. Mitsugaya was fluid in her movements but it seemed more like she was just going through the motions rather than dancing from her soul like the Blood Priestess. In a way he was glad that she was unable to tap into his Mother's power within her. He couldn't imagine her being as beautiful with the grayish white hair of a hanyou. He rather enjoyed watching the colors in her hair change depending on the light and angle.

As the Demon Lord watched the dance he noticed subtle changes were happening to the Blood Priestess... He made a habit of memorizing every detail of people and things in his presence and now she seemed visibly taller to him. Her hair was longer too and lighter in color than it had been even earlier that day. He sat up and took notice as even the physical appearance of her body changed. She had the body of a girl in her teens but she was turning into a woman before his eyes... and he wasn't the only one to notice...

"Miyori..." Mitsugaya gasped letting go of her friend's hand causing her to loose her balance and stumble away.

"What's wrong Mi-chan? Did you forget the rest?" Miyori wondered smiling at her comrade warmly. The Blood Priestess hadn't noticed any change immediately but now that she had stopped it was clear. She took a few steps forward and put her hand on the General's shoulders, a look of pure disbelief written on her face. Mitsugaya had grown up considerably while during the Blood Priestess's absence and she only came up to the Blood Guard's chest when she returned. Now she stood eye to eye with the demoness something she never dreamed possible since Mitsugaya was tall even for a demon. The Blood Guard reached a quivering hand out and took a tuft of Miyori's hair in it and pulled on it until she reached the end, letting it come to rest in front of her. It had easily doubled in length and now brushed its owner's knees. "What's happening to me?" Miyori wondered afraid as she backed away slowly.

"Your power... Miyori...sa...ma..." Hiyami stammered as distinctive blue markings started to fade in on her cheeks. The Blood Priestess ran to a tub of sake and looked at her reflection in the liquid mirror. She still looked the same in the face with the exception of the blue markings but her hair was blond now. "It must be forging your body into one that can handle it... Or maybe she is... You said there was someone else there... it was her wasn't it?" He added slowly walking up and wrapping his arms around her. "I think... You look beautiful still if that helps." He cooed happily as he hugged her. She shoved him off and ran away crying and clearly distressed. Hiyami started to chase after her but Mitsugaya stopped him.

"She needs a little time to adjust... We should let her be alone." The General added when he looked at her protestingly. He looked disheartened but nodded slowly after a moment. Sesshoumaru stood up and followed her slowly without a soul noticing him leave. The General might have a reign on her brother but no one had a reign on him...

"Did you honestly think that kind of power would come without a cost?" The Demon Lord wondered when he found her crying by a pool behind the temple. She acknowledged his presence but didn't answer him.

"Please go away... I'm very much not in the mood for your condescending ego trip..." She replied finally as she felt him moving closer. She heard him growl because of her insulting tone but it didn't deter him. He continued moving forward until he was standing next to her. Truth be told he was actually kind of tickled by her brashness. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye but kept his cold demeanor in tact. Before he spoke he turned his eyes away to the waterfall that fed the pool.

"The way you look shouldn't matter... What matters is that you are still you in mind and heart. These people will come to trust you regardless of you looking different than the humans and the demons... even the hanyou." He started as he sat down on the rock next to her. He had her attention now but more so because she was waiting for the power trip moment than because she felt comforted. "You were always strong until my Father got a hold of you and turned you into a needy wretched pest. If you can become strong again..." He paused for a long time before turning his gaze back to her and continuing on. "You could look like a shriveled old hag and you would still be beautiful. I would follow you if you returned to how you were when we were young... And trust this Sesshoumaru... I follow NO ONE..." She looked at him now in utter amazement unsure if she were dreaming or he really said that.

"Sesshoumaru... dono..." She whispered still trying to overcome that shock. "I thought you hated hanyou..." She added disheartened as she looked away quickly with a matching face.

"Hanyou truly are disgusting wretches... however I suppose one can not help the circumstances under which they are born... The same applies to you..." He conceded not changing his tone at all though. "Besides... For a human you were quite impressive..." He shot his hand around her throat and squeezed. "If you tell anyone I said any of this I will kill you..." She just smiled and chuckled a little.

"I make no guarantees I won't use it as a bargaining chip later." She smirked pulling his hand off forcibly but gently holding it in her lap. "Thank you Sesshoumaru-dono..." She whispered smiling.

"It's nice to hear you say my name with respect. I must ask you one thing... Why did you always chase after me when you were young?" He wondered with genuine curiousity.

"You were very powerful even at a young age and you never acknowledged anyone weak. But... You acknowledged me even if it was because your mother made you... I told you that... Having Hiyami and Mitsugaya for friends was always helpful but no one else really cared that I was here since I was from the outside. So I guess the bigger question is why did you even notice me?" Her voice reflected the tone of reminiscence the conversation had taking and she spoke fondly of the past.

"When everyone else teased you for being an outsider... You fought back even though it got you in trouble with the elders or hurt. Even when you didn't have your friends to help you." She got the biggest shock of her life when he bent in and kissed her with more gentility and care than she ever imagined him capable of. "You were stronger than you ever realized." He added getting up and walking away leaving her there dazed and confused by the gesture. She suddenly felt very mad and she jumped to her feet.

"You're the worst Sesshoumaru-dono! The absolute worst! Doing something like that!" She fumed yelling at his back as he walked away. He couldn't help but chuckle and smile as the fiery and passionate girl he knew came flooding back all at once. She realized after a moment that was what he was after all along... "You're really very kind underneath all of that frigid ice... Under different circumstances maybe we could have been together but it's a little bit late for you now. I loved someone all along and didn't know it." She mused with a smile as she plopped back down on her rock.

Hiyami passed Sesshoumaru on his way through the temple and eyed him suspiciously. As he found Miyori he walked up and sat down next to her much as the Demon Lord had. "He didn't say anything hurtful to you did he?" The Blood Guard wondered a little angry sounding as he pulled off his tabi socks.

"No... Believe it or not he actually said something really nice!" She mused wiggling her toes in the water.

"What did he say?" The demon wondered a little surprised as he rolled up his hakama. Miyori really didn't care about her pants and they were soak up to the knee now.

"I can't tell you on pain of death!" She giggled swirling her legs in circles in the cool water. He chuckled and shook his head slowly.

"I meant it... You're still beautiful to me even looking like that." The blushing demon mused looking at her reflection in the water.

"It really isn't terrible..." The Blood Priestess conceded pulling her hair back then letting it fall loosely on her shoulders. "I could do something with it I suppose..."

"I bet it looks gorgeous in the sun! Like golden rays of sunlight on your head!" The Blood Guard beamed playing with a handful of her hair, stroking it gently. She blushed and laughed awkwardly for a second. "I do..." He pouted when she started laughing. "You're so cute when you laugh and smile. I'm so glad to see you smiling again..."

"Hiyami... You shouldn't flatter a girl so much! It might go to her head!" She teased kicking a little water on him. He splashed her back with a foot that he finally dropped into the chilly water.

"I only say it because it's true..." He went on quietly as their reflections slowly returned to the water. "I'd do anything for you Miyo-chan..." His voice seemed a bit forlorn as he spoke and his face matched.

"I wish... I wish I could dance on the water... I wonder if I can levitate like other demons..." She giggled smiling. Hiyami looked at her with a grin and stood up. He bent down and offered her his hand.

"Only one way to find out!" He chimed musically as he waited with a patient smile for her to take his hand. She smiled and did so willingly. He pulled her to her feet and took a step out over the water.

"Why does it have to be over the pond?!" She screeched in protest as she looked at him uneasily.

"Don't worry... I won't let you fall..." His grin was cheesy now but he looked too cute to refuse. She nodded slowly before sliding one foot out over the water. With all of her concentration focused on the singular act of floating she slid the other foot out over the glassy surface. To her delight she floated effortlessly over the water. "My Lady Matriarch... might I have the honor of this dance?" The Lieutenant cooed with a romantic tone in his voice. She blushed but that didn't stop him from leading her on in a dance. They mostly made up the moves as they went but they were having too much fun to care. After a few minutes the demon stopped and looked at the Blood Priestess contently. The happy-go-lucky look he had been wearing had faded to one that was very serious as he pulled her in close. Suddenly he pulled them through the frigid waterfall and slid Miyori against the cold rock surface beyond it. He pressed against her and nibbled on her neck gently. "I shouldn't do this... but I can't stand it anymore... I love Miyori... and I have ever since we were kids..." He whispered between nibbles.

"Hiyami... I love you too..." She sobbed burying her head in his fluff. "I didn't realize it until just recently but I missed you so much and how happy you made me." He smiled like she had never seen him smile before just as he leaned in and kissed her. Compared to this kiss, Sesshoumaru's had seemed like a childish whim... "Why is it that I faded into the background for so long and now... everyone knows who I am and cares about me?" She wondered to herself as Hiyami pulled away. "We should go inside it's getting cold and we're all wet now..." She whispered breathless in an effort to escape his penetrating gaze. He didn't seem satisfied for some reason and his face said that clearly.

"I see... Well rest assured Miyo-chan... I'm not about to lose you to someone like HIM..." Was all the demon said with burning determination dripping off every word. Before she could even question what he meant he dashed away. She sighed slowly and came out from behind the waterfall looking rather sad. Suddenly the cooling night air seemed like a welcome friend she could talk to in order to clear her head. It was then that she remembered the archives the temple kept of the history of the kingdom and its rulers. Perhaps she could find more information about the "curse" there since the elder seemed to know little about it. Or if he did know more, he was unwilling to speak about the matter. She glanced up at the night sky and all the countless stars that twinkled down on her.

"Please elders and ancients who came before me... guide my footsteps down the path I must travel. Give me strength and watch over me and this land... Thank you..." She whispered before diverting her gaze to the temple.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven: Rise of the Banshee Tribe**_

"So it is true... As long as we exist in this world our children can not..." The figure of a human female that was completely consumed by fire commented sadly.

"I propose we divide the lands in quadrants based on the four winds and each rule over one. We'll create a group to watch over those lands and our interests... One we can imbue with power. And should any of the other tribes seek to interfere then we can choose a champion to put them back in line." A male figure that seemed to be made out of rock replied thoughtfully. His suggestion garnered nods of approval from the other four beings present.

"I lay claim to the northern lands..." The male being made of water chimed in.

"I shall claim the eastern lands..." A woman of wind added in turn.

"I will take the south..." The rock giant remarked. The fiery woman looked at the male made of darkness and shadow.

"Would you like the west then?" She wondered pensively with a slight smile.

"I would like the domain beyond this world where the spirits will go. My children shall be the escorts and harbingers of the dead." He answered with an ominous voice.

"Then so be it... I shall take the west and on this day the pact is made. Our children shall delegate over our quadrants and leave the others to their own devices." One by one they disappeared to end their lives in a way that they deemed appropriate.

- - - - - - - - - -

"My Lord it seems as though some of the higher ranked Death Chasers have began feeding on the energy of souls they've been collecting? Should we punish them in some way?" A shadowed figure wondered as it bowed before the master of the netherworld.

"No... Wait to see what it see they intend to accomplish from their actions." The shadow engulfed Lord of the Underworld replied casually as he brushed off the messenger. Truthfully he had been instigating his children to experiment with different means of sustaining themselves to see the most viable way. He had plans but he needed stronger minions to accomplish them.

Several centuries later a band of sickly a grotesque demons were dropped in front of the Dark Lord. "So I have been told that you have been tormenting the souls of both the pure and impure alike by draining them nearly completely of energy... What do you have to say for yourself?" He wondered looking over them and noting how much larger they had become and more complex looking.

"We yearn for power and to escape this dismal place. When we drink in the energy of our victims we take in their memories... We want to see the world they come from!" The female who was obviously their leader proclaimed in defiance and without remorse.

"How amusing... You wish to live within that world... and I wish to destroy it... Come to me my child..." He beckoned the leader forth and she obeyed begrudgingly. "On this day I shall give you a name and with it my blessing. I ask only one thing... go to the world of the living a drain it dry until every last living thing perishes at your hands... Do whatever you must to accomplish this and I will make you ruler of that domain." The demoness looked at him wide eyed but quickly nodded enthusiastically. The Dark Lord leaned in next to her ear and whispered in a barely audible voice. "Good... Now go on Vishkalyasenka... Queen of Darkness... Know this though should anyone else utter your true name you will lose this power I'm about to give you and my blessing..." He placed his dark hand on her forehead blasted her with his ancient power. She flew back and landed in the middle of her followers. When she hit the ground energy exploded out of her transforming them as it had transformed her. All that could be heard echoing through the darkness was a maniacal laugh of the now gorgeous demoness.

- - - - - - - - - -

"This world is so full of power and energy! The pure and demonic... And so many ways to kill!" The Queen of Darkness seethed with a dark smile as she slinked around in a rather alluring way about a field. "The creatures of this world shall make a fitting feast to celebrate our rebirth! Now on my followers! FEAST! Bring glory to our wondrous Banshee Clan!" She exclaimed cackling as she flew up to her feet and spread her arms to the sky. From all around her, her followers exploded out into the world to feed on whatever they encountered first. A dark and mysterious cloud began gathering in the sky over the far reaches of the Western Lands that foretold of an ominous future.

"You... You're power is simply wonderful feeling! I must have it!" The Queen proclaimed as she stumbled across a young miko gathering healing herbs. "Yours is quite different then the grimy souls I've encountered... I shall throughly enjoy this..." She hissed as she slowly walked toward the frightened priestess.

"What... are you? A Demon?" The priestess stammered as she backed away slowly. The Queen simply snickered and appeared behind the girl. She licked the girl's neck as a taloned hand slid around her torso holding the girl firmly in place. The demoness used her free hand to pulled the girl's shirt down which she sensed caused a surge of energy. Pursuing the notion further she slid her hand around the shirt and felt around casually. This garnered an even more powerful surge of energy which the demoness throughly enjoyed absorbing. "St...stop!" She had now intention of stopping now though she wanted this girl to give up all of her energy. The Queen had never tasted this energy of fear and she loved it. She wanted to know what all the forms of energy this girl could give tasted like. With a firm lick she tasted the skin on the girls neck making the miko shiver and gasp slightly.

"Play nice and I promise I'll be gentle..." The Banshee Queen whispered darkly as she grasped one of the priestess's breasts and rubbed the nipple with a finger very slowly. "Living creatures are so fascinating... I'm going to enjoy playing with you very much... In fact I might just let you live if you're fun! So come along and make this fun for me..." She giggled evilly as she spun the girl around and ripped her shirt open.

"Please... STOP!" The girl screamed blasting the demon away with holy energy. Frightened she turned and ran as fast as she could. She didn't make it very far before the demoness was on top of her pushing her into the ground.

"You're almost not worth the effort..." The Queen hissed angrily as she picked the girl up at the waist with one arm. With great power she leapt into the air and flew away with the screaming girl. "You're lucky... I find you rather stunning and regardless I'm going to keep you around..." She added coldly as she dropped the girl at the peak of a treacherous ridge. "This is my gift to you for showing an ounce of fortitude... If you were stronger I would do you the honor of converting you..." She was smiling as she spoke and leaned down to eye level with the quivering girl. "If you want to truly live... then try to kill me..." She whispered as she pulled the girl close to her in an almost tender embrace. A piece of cold steel slid into the girl's hands making her gasp in shock. She shook her head no in disbelief of the situation fate had thrust her into. How could she possibly kill a demon? And If she did attempt it, what would stop this monster from killing her anyways? The Banshee Queen started giggling as she readied herself to drain her victim dry. "Too weak... Not even worth the life you were given..." She whispered with a wicked grin creeping across her features. Just as she was about to bite down on the girl's neck the dagger jammed into her torso.

"I don't want to die..." The miko whispered almost inaudibly as she released her grasp on the dagger and tried to pull away.

"Then today is your lucky day..." A strange purply black glow started emanating from the Banshee Queen's eyes as she affixed them on the miko. "Give into me and be at peace with your inner darkness..." The girl struggled but quickly grew weak and limp as the very humanity was drained away from her leaving behind only the darkness hidden in her heart. The demoness relished and savored every bit of the girl's delectable purity and humanity as she tasted it for the first time in it's unaltered form. As darkness permeated the very being of the girl she began to twist and contort violently but the demoness held her firm.

"Hungry... so... hungry..." The girl whispered in more of a whine than anything.

"Don't worry my pretty... Tonight we'll dine together for the first time in this new world in our new forms..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"My Lady... The only threat remaining in these lands is the Dog Demon Tribe of the West. They have establishment a powerful and far reaching kingdom claiming much of those lands. We have gathered what information we can about them... however the information is spotty limited. The Dogs do well to cover their tracks and conceal their true size and power." A powerful Banshee reported as he bowed before the Queen of Darkness.

"Excellent work nonetheless... Gather more information about the Dogs and report back to me in a month... We'll eliminate them and with them the last obstacle in our march to rule this world..." She cackled in response to the report as her black eyes sparkled ever so slightly. "Dismissed..." A small band of Banshees disappeared to fulfill their orders but one remained kneeling at her Queen's side.

"My Lady... Do you have any orders for me? I wish to help your cause..." She whispered looking at the ground.

"Continue looking beautiful my lovely... Soon I will have a land suitable for your beauty to reside in..." The Queen replied with a wicked smile.

"My Lady... If all of life is dead will it still be beautiful?" The pet wondered not moving her gaze off the spec of dirt she intently stared at.

"Of course not! It will be more beautiful!" A wicked grin which the demoness was becoming infamous for found its way on to her face as she stroked her pets hair. "The creatures that reside in this world take it for granted and don't deserve it..."

"Mistress... If you destroy all the beauty of this world... how are you any better?" The pet failed to give herself completely over to the Banshee. She was after all the first conversion and thus the technique was imperfect when she was made. The annoyed Queen smacked the weak demon for her insolence sending her into the ground she enjoyed staring at. "Forgive my ignorance My Lady..."

"Soon my darling you'll learn that our beauty is in death and reaping it... To make this world beauty... it has to die..." The voluptuous demoness mused as she leaned down and pulled her pet up. She wrapped her arms around the young demon and nibbled on her ear. "Why do you think I converted you... you were dying in that shell of a life you were leading. And that made you gorgeous..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"What the hell are these things? They eat youki like it's nothing more than air!" A dog demon soldier gasped upon encounter his first banshee.

"They're the demon tribe that appeared creeping through the south! Our scouts warned us about them! Be careful we still don't know what their weakness is!" A older guard cried out as his troops gathered around him in a circle to cover all their flanks. There had been 20 of them in the scouting party but only five remained. Though they were only mid-rank soldiers they weren't weak compared to other demons. To be completely overwhelmed by so few enemies was staggering to them and through them considerably. "Priestess you should run and warn the others!" He barked addressing the elderly Blood Priestess who had accompanied them without their consent. The demons had gathered around her in an effort to protect her.

"I believe I prophesied their coming and how to stop them... Please step aside Lieutenant." She smiled as she slowly pushed past the towering demon and slit open her hand. "Ritual of Blood... Rain of Blood!" She yelled unleashing the attack on four of the attacking demons. They incinerated almost instantly collapsing to ash beneath to weight of the falling drops.

"What the Hell are you?" The remaining Banshee gasped watching his comrades be so easily destroyed by an old hag where battle hardened demons had failed.

"I am... your balance..." She replied slowly walking towards the demon with blood dripping from her hand every so often. It hissed at her then disappeared in a flash before she could kill it.

"My Lady Priestess... The knowledge you have given us this day is invaluable. Not to mention our lives were saved because of you!" The leader of the squadron gasped running to her side and kneeling.

"We are all of the same kingdom and we must protect each other." She replied with a smile as she pulled him to his feet. "Let's go home Lieutenant..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"I can't even begin to describe what she did or how she did it. She used her blood to kill them all!" The survivor gasped breathlessly before the Banshee Queen.

"It seems the dog demon tribe is a bigger threat than I had anticipated..." The Queen hissed looking rather contemplative.

"She was no demon! She was a priestess that was traveling with them!" The survivor interjected angrily.

"Why would demons keep priestesses in their presence that fight along side them? Better still what reason would a priestess have to protect the demons?" She wondered more confused than she had ever been. "Find me someone with a weak heart and soul... We're sending someone into their city to find out just what goes on in the Dog Demon Kingdom..." She hissed narrowing her eyes sharply.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Do you smell that Lord?" A high ranking Dog Demon soldier hissed catching a powerful whiff of human blood on the breeze. "It seems to becoming from just beyond our borders... Should we investigate?"

"Yes... I sense something very odd in the air that I can't identify... Something just is not quite right here..." He replied walking off in the direction the scent was coming from. The sight that met them came as a complete shock. It had been many years since they had seen such devastation and wanton killing. An entire village lay dead around them but youki oozed from the center of the village as well as the scent of a human girl.

"Leave me alone!" She sobbed as the Taishou ran up to find her surrounded by 20 Banshees. "I don't know anything about dog demons!"

"Useless inferior being you're a hanyou! The breed of a dog and a human! Don't tell me you know nothing of them!" One of the Banshees screeched lunging forward at the girl followed by the other nineteen. Before the Taishou even could make a move to save her a strange light shot out of the girl knocking them away. When the light faded someone stood holding the girl tightly to their chest. The Banshees were screeching and writhing in pain as it seemed they had been lit ablaze. The charred flesh smoked and the sounds of a crackling fire filled the air. Sounds that were coming from the mysterious woman as fire danced around her and her very being seemed to become pure flame.

"Know this full well interlopers! This woman is my champion and this land is mine! Crawl back into the depths from which you came and tell your wretch of a Queen her reign shall never come to pass! My chosen race shall rise and with it her demise..." The woman spoke in a voice that seemed to ethereal to be of this world. It made even the Inu no Taishou feel fear in his heart and wish to be out of her sight. "NOW BURN!" She hissed angrily and the whole town was lit ablaze. When the inferno died all the blood and carnage was gone, the people lay sleeping. The Banshees had vaporized but to his surprise, the Taishou and his men were completely on unharmed. The woman was walking toward them slowly and it was then that the Taishou realized she was a demoness of his clan. Not only that, it was his wife's sister! "Taishou... I carry inside me the heart of the Demon Queen of the West. The being that gave life to all demons of these lands and then perish so we might live. By invoking that power I will soon die and your beloved will inherit the heart. Please... Miyori... she'll be orphaned and in a place such as this." The Taishou smiled slightly and gently took Miyori from her arms.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten here sooner..." He replied regretfully as he looked down at the small girl who seemed more human than demon. "Maybe things would have been different then."

"These demons you can not combat as you are Taishou. Only the Matriarch and those empowered by her can. Forge a weapon that harnesses their power and fight them... Or all this world will fall to ruin..." Before he could ask any more of her she bent in and kissed him on the cheek before bursting into a cloud of ash. He sighed then turned and started walking away. "Let's go before they wake up and think we had something to do with all this..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Mistress!" The one surviving Banshee that survived meeting the Champion of the West coughed as she collapsed before the Queen. "We succeeded in gathering information but at a cost... I know approximately where one of the dog demon borders is now... and I also know that our Lord's rival in the West is displeased with our presence here. She invoked her Champion and killed us all! Then she passed on he daughter and heir to the heart to the Inu no Taishou!" She added coughing frequently as she spoke.

"If she invoked her Champion then she is of no problem to us. She is but a relic of the past with little or no power since her body is scattered all over the West. As long as they don't find her soul we can work around the little problem of the female power..." The Queen mused brushing off the report and standing up. "Tonight we shall feed and convert everything that is foolish enough to stand in our way!" She beamed walking out of her lair and into the chill night air. Her pet followed warily behind her, she seemed vastly moved by the report of the heart of the Demon Queen being revealed. A slight smile crept over her features, something that hadn't happened since her conversion. "Glad to see you in a good mood Darling..." The Banshee chirped eying her pet.

"Oh yes Mistress... You're confidence is admirable... I only wish I could be more like you in that regard." She remarked diverting her gaze to the ground. The Banshee Queen smiled wildly then grabbed her hand and tugged her along.

"Come my pet... you must be famished..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Damn those demons... Damn them all for what they did to me and my family..." A young man hissed as he shoveled the las bit of dirt over the fresh graves.

"What if I told you I could help you eliminate all demons from this world? Are you ready to accept your destiny?" The Banshee Queen found her mole and was fully ready to infiltrate the Dog Demon with him.

"What do I have to do?" He wondered looking at her stunned not only by her beauty but her overwhelming presence.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight: Evolution of War**_

"So they use Channelers to produce a barrier that hides their main city... the spell seems to have residual effects over much of their territory to a lesser degree. The Channelers and the human portion of their army is made up of what they called Blood Clergy. Humans who have made a blood pact with the Matriarch." The mole reported as he and the Banshee Queen stood facing each other in the mid-morning sun. "It seems to me if you can eliminate the Channelers and the Matriarch the Clan will fall to you easily."

"The Blood Clergy must gain the ability to slay my children from the Matriarch..." The Queen replied quietly nodding slowly as her piercing eyes peered through him making him uneasy.

"There's an interesting fact for you... Only the strongest of their Clan can make a blood pact and even then under the most dire situation... Otherwise they become nigh unkillable. Even the Daiyoukai won't make a blood pact... And Hanyou are completely forbidden from it all together."

"Her blood can make demons invulnerable?!" The Queen's usually controlled demeanor broke utterly as she fathomed the usefulness of such an ability for her means. "I must have her! There must be a way to make her blood usable for myself!" She turned her back to her mole and started walking away slowly. "Find me a weakness!" She snapped sharply as she walked away and retrieved her pet.

"Mistress! One last thing! The Inu no Taishou's son seemed despise how the Clan is ran... You might be able to use that against them..." He added calling after her. She lingered for just a moment as a smile crept across her face and she walked on.

"Don't summon me again until you have what I seek!" She waved him away and kept walking toward the north as a cold wind sent her long hair flowing behind her. Her pet looked back at him with a sad face before turning and following her master on.

"He couldn't possibly pose much of a threat to them... could he?" She wondered watching the ground as she walked.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Another Blood Pact? Is there no one in this forsaken city left purely human?" The mole wondered as he heard two old women talking.

"Are they really going to let the outsider make a pact? That's unheard of?" One of the women wondered skeptically.

"Apparently she's the most apt they've seen in years... A perfect candidate! I heard she's a hanyou even!" The other woman replied a gossipy tone.

"A Hanyou?! Really? A human and...?"

"A Dog demon I hear! A left behind from the last border expansion... No one knows who her parents are though..." The two women stopped talking as Miyori ran by them.

"There's no way she's a hanyou! Look at her!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Miyori called running up to him. He stopped and looked at her annoyed. "I know they don't really compare to you but I thought these flowers were really beautiful! Here!" She held a small bouquet of flowers out to him. One of the other demons with him, or rather one who's presence he could tolerate, laughed and batted them to the ground.

"Our Prince as no time for foolish girls or foolish flowers!" He quipped with a taunting smile. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow annoyed that the boy felt bold enough to answer for him. "What's the matter? Going to cry since you don't have the Hanyou brats to stick up for you?" Before Sesshoumaru could make a reprimand the boy went flying down the street.

"I'm tired of you being so mean to me!!! I'll show you! I'm going to become stronger than you could ever imagine!" She screamed running towards him and jumping on top of him. She was so fast and he was so dazed by her outburst he didn't dodge her. She pummeled him for a few long moments before he regained himself enough to kick her off.

"Are you stupid?! I could easily kill you! You're weak compared to me!" The boy shouted as he scampered to his feet.

"If you think you can... come try..." Miyori hissed pushing herself up off the ground. He rushed forward and sought to land a punch on her but she caught his fist and threw him flying through the air. She started running towards him but formidable hands grabbed her under the arms and pulled her to a stop.

"Enough!" It was the Inu no Taishou. "Miyori... I understand your frustration... I regret to say that though the people of this kingdom can tolerate each other... they can not tolerate others. They treat you unfairly... But you must be better than that and rise above it! That is how you prove hos strong you really are! Fight when it is necessary and with only the force required..." He soothed setting her down and looking out on the crowd that had gathered. Miyori looked like she would cry because she felt like she had let him down, something she never wanted to do. "Come on now... You should rest if you're going to go through with the pact tomorrow..." He spun her around and lead her up the hill to their house next to the temple. Sesshoumaru smirked slightly as he eyed the young demon before turning to walk up the hill.

"I don't think anyone understands what he sees in her..." The young demon sighed dusting himself off.

"Obviously something you do not... And your lack of ability to see clearly what is in front of you lead to your fall today... and most likely will again..." The Prince replied in his typical tone as he walked away. "That's why we're leagues ahead of you... And why he's the Taishou..."

The mole slipped away disgusted to be so close to that many demons and their sympathizers. He had enough and tomorrow he would put an end to it... Tomorrow he would kill that girl and the Matriarch while they were both still weak from the ritual. He didn't care what that crazy woman who was employing him wanted! This was his decision and he was going to do what he had to!

- - - - - - - - - -

"I want you, my most trusted and most powerful children to undertake a special task for me. I want you to track and ultimately catch the Prince of West... And bring him to me..." The Banshee Queen was unusually pensive as she spoke to her five strongest children. "We will use him to draw out the Matriarch and if he really is so displeased... perhaps convert him..." The smirk they were accustomed to when she spoke of things that made her happy formed on her porcelain colored face. "Go!" Without question or hesitation they disappeared to carry out their orders.

- - - - - - - - - -

"NOOOOO!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" Miyori screamed bolting up in her bed. It had only been a few weeks since she witnessed the death of the Matriarch and assumed her powers. She looked around into the dead of night sweating and panting wildly. "Just a dream... It was just a dream?" She wasn't sure... Knowing what she knew of the woman who had raised her the last decade of her life it might not be... She crawled out of bed and wandered the cold wood and stone floors of the house until she found the courtyard. A small koi pond sat in the center and she stared into it. The moon's light obscured the bottom of the pond and in the white mirror she saw something... a sword covered in blood. The sword ran itself through a beautiful woman who turned into whithered and ugly demon. She managed to repel the sword and escape and as the sword landed it impaled the ground in front of Miyori. The girl reached out with both hands and clasped the sword, her blood gushing over it as she did. The blood hitting the blade made it glow fiercely.

"Miyori? It's late you should be resting!" The Taishou called to her but she was in a trance. "Miyori!" He called more sternly as he walked towards her. He reached out and tugged on her but she wouldn't move. She stared into the pond absently with a blank expression, a look he had seen before.

"A sword... like Tetsusaiga... we have to make a sword..." She commented blankly as she kept staring at the pond unblinking. "Forged in her blood... it will raise the dead and kill the Banshees..." She added before her eyes fells shut and she fell backwards into his arms. "Tenesaiga..." The Taishou ran his tongue over the dent in his fang that had given birth to Tetsusaiga.

"A sword you say?" He mused picking her up and taking her back to bed. "It's not proper conduct to hide in the shadows outside a girl's room." The Taishou called to a figured hovering in the darkened corner as he slid Miyori's door closed.

"I sensed a change in her. She seemed to be in distress. I thought our home may have been threatened." Sesshoumaru replied stepping forward toward his Father.

"I hope you really aren't that attached to her... We're leaving soon to see Totosai." The Taishou spoke as if he himself dreaded this trip but stern enough to seem cold to his son.

"Why?" Normally it wasn't in his nature to question his Father but ever since he had turned Miyori into a lap dog and locked her in the house he was skeptical.

"The Banshee demons are getting more bold and she thinks a sword forged in her blood maybe the weapon we need. I think she might be right." He answered walking away. The Prince was only half satisfied with this answer. He hated Miyori in part of himself for making his Mother weak enough to be slain by a human... But the other part of him still admired her strength even as a human or hanyou... whatever the case maybe. "Sesshoumaru... Forget she ever existed..." The words struck the younger demon as odd and he looked surprised. "If she has nothing to care about... she will have no reason to hurt herself or risk herself."

"You can't just ask people to forget about things they care about..." His voice was contemptuous as he spoke. With a clenched fist and narrowed eyes he eyed his Father's back. The Taishou sighed and turned around.

"If you care about her at all you'll forget about her. She could die if she becomes desperate enough to use the power inside her now. Do you want that?" Sesshoumaru slowly shook his head no. "Then forget about her..." The Taishou turned again and walked away into the darkness. He was always cryptic and secretive to a point but this was beyond his usual manner. Sesshoumaru slid Miyori's door open slightly and eyed the sleeping girl. Suddenly the house seemed very stifling so he left in the moonlit night to walk the city. Unfortunately even the vast city could do little to relieve the feeling of being trapped that he now felt. With a great leap he scaled one of the outer walls without being spotted by the night patrols and left the city. He had no intention of running away permanently, just for a few hours to figure out what was really going on. It was much later in the night than he had thought as the first glow of day soon started emanating beyond the grassy hill ahead of him. It was then that he noticed five shadows growing ever longer as the sun slowly made its ascent.

"Demon Prince of the West! Our Queen seeks an audience with you!" The strongest of the five who stood in the middle called.

"Banshee scum..." He hissed to himself as he turned his gaze in another direction. "Your Queen would rather use me as a bargaining chip. I have no intention of being a prisoner to my Father much less her..." He called back waving them on passively, obviously not realizing the true strength of his opponents.

"I believe I was unclear... You're coming with us!" She called again rushing down the hill towards him. He easily dodged the first attack but soon became keenly aware of his disadvantage. He was left constantly defending and unable to attack. He was schooled fully in the abilities of the Banshees that his Tribe had been made aware of over the years. The less contact he made with them the better off he would be and the longer he could last. Unfortunately his released form would only prove detrimental in this case and so he was at a disadvantage. Finally he lost his footing on the dewy grass of the early morning and slid down the hill. Without hesitation the Banshees descended on him. The sun finally broke over the hill cascading light down on the demon obscuring his vision. As dark shadows descended upon his weakened body a foreign body appeared in his field of vision.

"Ritual of Blood! Summoning of power... FULL ACTIVATION!" Miyori cried cutting her hand over and flinging the blood into the air around her. The blood swirled around and wrapped around her hands and face. The ritual completed just in time for her to see one of the demoness dig her fangs into Sesshoumaru's neck. "Sesshoumaru-dono!" She screamed in anger before rushing forward drilling through the offending demon's chest with her blood armored hand. She pulled the Banshee's claws out of Sesshoumaru's torso and broke the arm off.

"What the Hell is this? Blood Priest aren't this strong... And their eyes don't glow like that!" One of the surviving demons panted as they watched their leader fall to the ground dead, her heart in Miyori's hand. Before she could catch her breath Miyori activated another ritual. This ritual sent a spear of blood through the nearest demon's forehead.

"We're leaving! Let's go!" A third cried and the three survivors disappeared in a flash. The glow in the Priestess's eyes faded and the blood armor turned back to liquid.

- - - - - - - - - -

"You had better bring her back stronger and better than she is now..." Sesshoumaru hissed as the Inu no Taishou passed him on his way through the gate.

"I'll do what I must..." Was the only response he received.

It was several months before the pair returned to the Capitol and when they did it they had the sword. Sesshoumaru wasn't there to greet them, or at least he didn't openly make his presence known. It was clear to her dear friends that her time with the Inu no Taishou had changed her. Something the Demon Prince would soon realize for himself, and be none to happy about. The return of the Demon Lord was a timely one as the Banshees and started pinpointing the location of the city and attempting to attack it directly. It wouldn't be long before they would make their move and lead an all out attack. Refugees from other clans and tribes had reached out to the Dogs and were trickling in from outlying lands within the West. The leaders waited expectantly for the Taishou so they could discuss the upcoming battle and whisked him away upon his return. Without the hawk-like eyes of the Taishou on her, Miyori seemed at a loss for what to do. Sesshoumaru approached her slowly and sought to speak to her. She hadn't noticed him yet when Hiyami ran up and tackled her where she sat on the street alone.

"You don't look very good Mi-chan! Come on you can rest at our house!" He looked worried as he pulled her reluctantly up off the ground. "What happened out there?" He wondered as they pushed through the crowded streets to his house. The Demon Prince followed them cautiously and listened to their conversation.

"To forge the sword we knew it would take quite a bit to imbue it with power. Unfortunately to make the power permanent it took all of it... But giving it the power to fight Banshees gave it other unexpected attributes... It can resurrect the dead now!" She gleamed with a wary smile now. We found that out when it brought me back from the dead..." She added with a sad sigh.

"You actually died to create it?! The Taishou allowed that?" Hiyami gasped shocked as he stopped just shy of his house.

"We had no other choice... We need a weapon that can combat them... If I really am the Matriarch's heir I have to do what I can to protect the Tribe..." She didn't seem at all her lively self as she spoke, in fact it seemed as though the life had been drained out of her.

"You haven't recovered at all..." Hiyami sighed sadly as he hugged her.

"I haven't had a chance too... There are so many Banshees in these parts now we had to fight our way here. At least we could test the sword... It works beautifully! Especially in the hands of the Taishou!" She tried to smile but it was clear the toll on her had been grave. Hiyami picked her up with little effort and carried her to the house. He didn't say anything else just looked ahead sadly and with great concern. With narrow eyes the Demon Prince walked away, leaping through the air using the rooftops as his causeway. He wouldn't confront his Father though, he simply wanted to release his frustrations and that meant the training grounds.

- - - - - - - - -

The ground began to shake violently as the scout ran through the city to the temple at the top. "Taishou! The Banshees are attacking! They have a whole army of Ogres and they're trying to bring down the walls!"

"They aren't trying to bring down the walls... They can fly! They're trying to bring down the barrier! Bringing down the wall is useless if the barrier exists! But bringing down the wall on the Channelers! GO!" Miyori yelled rushing past both men to one of the guard towers. The Channelers were kept in bunkers beneath each tower. If the wall came down and crushed any of them the barrier could be weakened enough for the Banshees to break through.

"You heard her! GO! Defensive specialty Clergy go protect the Channelers! The rest of you pull together EVERYONE who can fight and get them to the wall! Those who can't fight go to the Temple and prepare for orders! Also prepare to receive wounded!" The Taishou ordered and everyone sprang into motion. Miyori slid to a stop at the entrance to the nearest bunker and created a blood shield around the Channeler stationed there.

"We're under attack finally?" The young girl wondered as she tried to sit fast and concentrate.

"Yes... my barrier will protect you so please remain calm... We're preparing an offensive." Miyori replied with a gentle smile as she patted the girl of the head. Another Clergy ran past her and on to the next bunker.

"Lady Miyori go to the front lines! I'll watch these three and more are coming to watch the Channelers! Please protect the city!" Miyori nodded quickly and ran off toward the front gate. A small force had gathered including Hiyami and Mitsugaya but Miyori didn't stop as she ran past them and Sesshoumaru. The resolution on her face was clear as she sprang over the wall and passed through the barrier.

"MIYORI!" The Taishou screamed as he watched her disappear over the wall. "Did I teach you nothing?!" He added angrily as he rushed after her. "Don't come out until you're fully prepared!" He yelled over his shoulder to his Generals as he leapt over the wall. Not to be out done Sesshoumaru took off after him but was restrained by thee Generals.

"You are not prepared for a fight like this..." The Elder scolded as he eyed Hiyami and Mitsugaya trying to make a break for the wall.

"If she's going... we're going..." Hiyami replied before he and his sister pushed off the ground and over the wall. What met them on the other side made their stout hearts tremble. Thousands of demons spanning beyond what their keen eyes could see had assembled in the woods surrounding the mountain city.

"Go back inside!" The Taishou shouted angrily to Miyori as he eyed the massive army before them.

"She trusted me and I'm not going to let her down! This is my fight too!" She shouted in reply as blood dripped from both hands and a fierceness covered her face he hadn't seen in years. "Ritual of Blood! Avatar Summoning! Arise my Champion!" She shouted and the red liquid shot into the air and stormed around her. Slowly it started to take the shape of a huge red bird. The form of her avatar made the Taishou gasp and stand awestruck. Something about the creature struck him as though he had seen it before or that it had some significance he was unaware of. As he tried to recover from his shock the bird rushed forward and started a rampage through the demons that had gathered in the clearing. "Taishou! Take out the Banshees with Tenesaiga and we'll handle the Ogres!" She cried not missing a beat or a step on the shaking round as she flipped through the air and landed in front of Hiyami and Mitsugaya. About that time Sesshoumaru made it over the wall and landed next to his Father.

"No one listens to me anymore..." He sighed releasing Tenesaiga and sending a blast of its power into the crowd the bird hadn't touched yet.

"I'm glad you're here my friends..." Miyori whispered taking one hand from each demon in her own. "Although you shouldn't be here..." The blood on her hand coalesced and wrapped around bonding them together.

"We promised to stay together forever no matter what..." Mitsugaya replied with a smile as her claws and fangs grew long.

"And as you inspired us... we'll never break a promise we hold dearly." Hiyami added with a similar grin as a wall of demons approached them. Cracking trees and and crumbling earth created a din to deafen a stone statue but they stood firm. When the wall got within range, together they attacked with grace and beauty almost as if they were dancing. Together it was effortless for them to repel every attacker covering each other as they attacked. After a long wave a horrendous cracking noise could be heard in the distance as the Avatar reached its limit and broke apart. As the pieces broke off they liquefied, searing any Banshees caught under the downpour. As the endless sea of enemies rushed forward the city gates creaked open and reinforcements poured out heralded by a battle cry that drowned out the din of battle.

With tenacity and strength the Blood Clergy and Dog Demons repelled the full force of the attack over the course of a day. As the sun set the battle had been won and a bright tomorrow seemed to be in sight. That's when she appeared with her strongest forces... "Remarkable... Truly remarkable... I have vastly underestimated you and your Clan Inu no Taishou... However that matters not... This day you and your Kingdom shall perish!" She laughed maniacally as her best warriors rushed past her and landed attack after devastating attack on the Generals and Lieutenants. Tenesaiga wiped out a sizable portion but their speed made it hard to deal mortal blows. As the ranks of defender dwindled a heat grew inside of Miyori, a heat mirrored in her friends.

"We can't let her win..." Mitsugaya hissed angrily as she clenched tightly to Miyori's.

"She won't..." Hiyami growled digging his feet into the ground. Strange youki kicked up around the three of them just as the two enrage demons flew through the air and took out 4 or five Banshees each with ease. Miyori stood perfectly still eying the ground intensely as a blue energy swirled around her. When the two young demons stopped moving long enough for the Taishou to get a good look at them he realized what was happening. They were acting as a distraction... His gaze shot to where Miyori had been but she was no longer there. She had her hand gripping firmly around the Banshee Queen's throat.

"Beautiful energy! Give it all to me!" She mused leaning in and kissing Miyori firmly on the lips. The Blood Priestess became paralyzed instantly and the blue energy started draining out of her.

"STOP!!!" The Banshee Queen's pet screamed and shockwave emanated out of her blowing everyone a sizable distance away. The outburst had left her weak but her senses as a priest had returned to her along with her soul. "You foul wretch!" She screamed rushing forward and putting a bind on the Queen of Darkness. "Taishou! Use the sword now!!!" She screamed looking at the Ruler of the West desperately. "Quickly before she recovers!" The Taishou's face grew grim as he nodded and ran forward with tremendous speed. The sword pierced through the miko and into the Queen making her scream and writhe. Her screams pierced the brains and souls of those left standing sending them to their knees in pain.

"All along my purest poison was under my nose... Why didn't I sense it sooner?" The Queen choked out as her power left her. The Miko just smiled and as a few solemn tears streamed down her face. With the last of her power the Queen repelled the sword and sent the miko flying through the air further than eyes could see. The one remaining Banshee scooped up the withered and wretched beast and made off with her before the defenders of the West could recover enough to pursue them.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine: A Pact**_

Miyori woke up in a cold sweat as she looked around the archives room wildly. She had fallen asleep at the table just after finishing her reading of the official history kept in the archives. Her memory throughly jogged she seemed to realize where the Elder might think the Demon Soul is. But the was overshadowed by a haunting dream that had shocked her to waking. The dream involved her walking through a mountainous region but where there should be life abundant, there was nothing but blood and death. It seemed as though the entirety of the wolf demon tribe had been slaughtered. As she walked one lone survivor grasped onto her ankle and looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Help us..." She whispered with her dying breath.

"Ayame..." She whispered back before snapping to. She knew that it wasn't just an idle nightmare. It was a vision of what was to come without a doubt and she could stand by and watch the Wolf Tribe be destroyed. What had merely drove her had been the protection of her own but she now realized this was much bigger. If they couldn't stop her with their advantage over her, what hope was there for the rest of the world? With that resolution hanging heavy on her heart she ran out of the temple and through the dark and quiet streets.

"Hiyami!" She whispered shaking him gently from his slumber. "Hiyami please I need a favor." He grumbled for just a moment as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and rolled over.

"What's wrong?" He wondered looking at her seriously when he noticed her expression.

"Do you know where the Wolf Demon tribe lives?" He shook his head yes and her face lit up. "Will you take me there please?"

"Now?" She nodded slowly and he looked at her oddly. Her face spoke volumes even though she offered no words as explanation as he climbed out of bed. "You'll tell me on the way then?" He wondered getting dressed and armed.

"Of course!" She smiled as she backed away to give him room to get ready.

"Let's go then!" He beamed grabbing her hand and swinging her up on his back. Like a flash of lightning they were gone.

- - - - - - - - - -

"I'm starving!" The Banshee Queen sighed as she rose from her throne. "I need some worthy prey though... Perhaps I shall hunt the Wolf Prince rumored to have Shikon Shards..." She mused as she stopped at the opening of her cave. "Stay her my pet... I'll bring you a lovely treat..." Her pet frowned but didn't dare to raise a voice in discontent.

"I shall eagerly await your return!" She beamed instead as she faked a smile and sat down at the opening next to her master.

"That's a good girl!" With great speed she disappeared into the waning night air.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Something doesn't feel right here..." Kouga thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes and surveyed the forest surrounding them. It was nearly dawn and they were about to begin their hunt. Something had been bothering him all night and his uneasiness had only worsened now that they were preparing for their hunt. He couldn't sense any unusual presence or smell anything odd.

"Oi... Something about this morning is giving me the creeps..." One of the Wolf's most trusted companions uttered with a shiver. Though the cold was setting in, it wasn't chilly enough to give him a shiver like that. "We should come out later Kouga..."

"Maybe..." He sighed and turned to go back to their hideout. "I don't suppose any harm would come of that..." As the last word left his lips the rock they had been standing on crumbled to dust beneath their feet. As Kouga tried to gain some distance into the air he was sent flying by a swift kick to the stomach. A crack echoed through the forest as he impacted and went straight through a tree before coming to rest when a second caught him. "What the hell?" He groaned rolling out of the dent he had made in the tree.

"Hello there... My you are much better looking than the scouts made you out to be!" The Banshee Queen mused as she floated leisurely toward the dazed demon. "You'll make a much better trophy than meal... I suppose that's what those two are for..." She added motioning idly to his companions. "Now be a good little wolf and come quietly... I wouldn't want to scuff you up too badly...

"Not on your life bitch..." The proud demon hissed with a smirk as he prepared to fight. The Banshee Queen pouted for a moment before making her advance.

- - - - - - - - - -

Miyori gripped onto Hiyami's shoulders tightly as they sailed over the trees toward their destination. "Awe... Don't worry... I won't drop you!" He teased squeezing her legs gently.

"It's not that... She already here... But I can only sense her... She might be hunting but..." Miyori stopped as she looked out as best she could with the fierce cold winds in her eyes.

"Do you think we can take her without Sesshoumaru and Tenesaiga?" Hiyami wondered obviously excited.

"We may have to..." Miyori was less than enthusiastic about the confrontation and for good reason after being reminded of the Queen of Darkness and her full capabilities.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Awe... I was expecting much more fight out of you..." The Banshee pouted as she held Kouga by the throat. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life and his body was written with the marks of a fierce battle. "Now be still while I show the true beauty of this world..." She was nigh orgasmic as she eyed her trophy and begin the process of converting him. He let out a horrifying scream that was cut short as a sudden rush of wind kicked up around them. When the dirt settled Hiyami removed his foot from her face and let her slide to the ground. Miyori held Kouga gently in her arms and started healing his wounds with her powers of preservation. "What an unwelcome surprise..." She hissed standing up slowly and eying Hiyami with murderous intent. "You marred my beautiful face! NO ONE TOUCHES ME AND LIVES!!!" She surged forward but couldn't touch Hiyami no matter how hard she tried.

"He's... so fast... How many shards is he using?" Kouga wondered groggily as he struggled to watch the fight.

"Shards? Oh Shikon shard? None... He's trained day after day for hundreds of years to be that fast." She replied laying him down after the healing had started. "Stay here..." A barrier formed around him and his friends who had cautiously rushed to her side.

"That look... So determined... I've only seen a look like that once before..." Kouga stammered as he started regaining his senses. "Who are those two?"

"COWARD! Stop running away and fight me!" The Queen ordered in pure aggravation as she chased a taunting Hiyami.

"You want a fight? Okay!" Hiyami flipped backwards and landed a few feet away with a smirk on his face.

"Ritual of Blood... Sacred Pact... POWER SIPHON!" Miyori yelled and Hiyami started glowing brightly.

"A power Siphon? But you haven't made a pact!" The Queen screeched in desperate confusion. By now she had realized that Miyori was a Blood priestess but she had heeded the weak feeling girl no mind. She thought she could absorb the power of her demonic foe and then make short work of the Blood Priestess. Now that she was away from Kouga and he was protected she was unleashing her true power. Even Siphoning half of her power to Hiyami the energy that swirled around her was intense enough to disintegrate the ground beneath her feet. The Queen laughed maniacally as a smile wrote itself on her face. "A desperate move indeed..." Before she could say anything else, as if queued by an unseen action the pair raced forward in unison and plowed a clenched fist through her. That action alone wasn't enough to even make a dent to her and in fact put Hiyami in an extremely unfavorable position. Or so she thought... Her preconceived notions would prove more devastating to her by leaving her open to such attacks. With his speed Hiyami was able cross behind her and gain a coating of Miyori's blood before making his impact. The smile on her face quickly faded as extreme pain wrenched through her body. With a massive scream she through the pair off with such force that when Miyori impacted the blood barrier she had made it cracked and crumbled.

"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU DAMN DOGS!!!" She screeched before taking off into the shrinking darkness. Hiyami looked as though he would go after her but before he got far he realized the power siphon had stopped.

"Miyori! Are you all right?" He wondered as he dropped down next to her. The impacted had knocked the wind out of her so completely that she had stopped breathing for a few seconds. She looked up at him panting and grasping her chest. After a few agonizing minutes of uncertainty she nodded slowly. "Well at least you can create and extremely sturdy and stable barrier!" He mused trying to cheer her up some.

"We need to finish what we started..." She said as he pulled her up. "Kouga I presume?" She added turning around and eying the wolf.

"How do you know my name and just who the Hell are you?!" He growled getting up and looking at the pair venomously. "And what the Hell is she?!"

"I have a lot to explain and not a lot of time..." Miyori started taking and deep breath and wincing a little.

- - - - - - - - - -

"The world is rather small in stature if you have had dealings with Inuyasha- dono and his friends..." Hiyami commented as their conversation came to an end.

"Maybe it's not small enough... How is that we never knew that the dog demons were so strong? Are you that reclusive?" Kouga still didn't fully trust the pair even though they had saved his life.

"The less those who would seek to claim the West know about us, the larger tactical advantage we have over them..." Hiyami answered as he watched the fire dance before him.

"Good point..." Was all Kouga could respond with as he stood up. "So what you're saying is... You want us to pack up shop and move into your city because that thing is going to come kill us..." He reviewed the basic facts he had been given as he circled the campfire.

"More or less..." Miyori still felt uneasy though. "Can I ask an odd question?" Kouga looked at her expectantly. "Where's Ayame?" She wondered worried. "In my dream she was the only one who survived the... attack... There's another group! That's it this isn't the right place that's why it doesn't feel right!" She burst out of the cave as fast as she could and slid to a stop on the rocky ground with her head pointed to the sky. "North..." She whispered before taking off again. With speed great enough to extinguish the fire Hiyami took off grabbing her on the way. Not to be outdone, Kouga followed. The scent of blood soon grew thick in the air as they closed in on the camp the other wolf demons kept. Miyori freed herself and dropped to the ground amidst all the carnage and tears poured from her eyes.

"We're too late..." Hiyami gasped landing next to her. Desperately Miyori scampered through the strewn bodies looking for Ayame until she found the nearly dead girl. With gentle hands she scooped the cold demoness up and cradled her.

"I won't let it end like this... These are our brothers and sisters... I WON'T LET IT END LIKE THIS!" She raised her face to the dawn and fire seemed to burn in her eyes. The blood of wolves started drawing towards her in a most unnatural way leaving the heartbroken Kouga and shocked Hiyami in awe. A huge glowing pillar started swirling around her causing a steady draft as it moved.

"MIYORI! You mustn't release that power!" The Blood Guard screamed in terror as he felt the presence of energy he felt every time the seal reacted. Before he could make a move to stop her the pillar erupted raining blue drops down on the whole macabre scene. It took a few minutes but the dead and dying started to come to life again. What should have been the scene from a b-rated Hollywood horror from the 1930's slowly turned into the end of a feel good movie.

"I knew you wouldn't let us down..." Ayame whispered groggily with a smile as she started to come to.

"I never break a promise..." Miyori whispered as blue electric sparks arced off her body making her flinch. She smiled weakly as she dropped over her newly revived companion.

"So will you be coming with us?" Hiyami wondered shaking his head as he pulled Miyori off of Ayame.

"She does this sort of thing a lot?" Kouga wondered as he helped Ayame up.

"If I could find one fault with Mi-chan it would be this... She loves far more than she should and one day... it will kill her..." Hiyami replied grimly as he started making his way back to the city. "If you want to take us up on the offer then head due West for two days at normal speed. We'll take care of the rest. Just remember Kouga-sama... She almost killed you once and wiped out half your tribe in her severely weakened state without issue... Think carefully." Without hesitation Kouga sighed out a response.

"We'll see you in two days..." Hiyami smiled before taking off through the air.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Well Lady Miyori's unexpected excursion may have bought you some time to finish the Jewel without interruption." The Elder mused as he saw Inuyasha and the others off. "Should your adventures take you near there, please investigate the volcano." He added waving them on. The doors slowly creaked closed behind them and the city disappeared completely.

"Oh dear... How are we supposed to find our way back?" Kagome wondered looking around completely lost now that the city had disappeared.

"I'll find the way back don't worry..." Inuyasha huffed boastfully as he started walking away. In the distance, aforementioned volcano smoked ominously and rumbled quietly.

"Are we going right to the volcano?" Sango wondered confused when she noticed where he was heading.

"Yup... If we can get them off our back we can go back to life as normal." Inuyasha replied trying to hide the fact that he actually enjoyed being there.

"You mean after how nicely they treated us and everything they did for you... You're just going to walk away?" Kagome fumed hurrying to catch up with him.

"What good can we really do? You saw those things and heard what they can do! We can't fight that!" He yelled continuing to walk. "The best thing we can so is stay out of the way. If they have to worry about protecting us it will only make their fight that much harder!"

"You're not even going to try? You're just going to run away?" She was livid to say the least even given his honest and heartfelt response.

"I made a deal with Hiyami all right?" The hanyou snapped coming to a stop. "He asked me to disappear with the Shikon no Tama and not come back... They would come to us. That way we could get the jewel as far away from her as possible." He added sighing and walking off again.

"What if she comes after us for the Jewel though?" Mirkou interjected worried and he held his chin in his hand. "Wouldn't it be smarter to have it here where it would be highly protected?"

"He said that Miyori told him that... She said something about needing a legacy if they fail." Everyone cocked an eyebrow at the last comment and after having said it, Inuyasha stop dead in his tracks. He lurched around and looked at Kagome fearfully. "I didn't make any promises or anything!" He soothed eying her fearsome expression.

"If we find the rest of the shards I'm taking the Shikon no Tama back to them... I can't just walk away knowing that the whole world and my future might be at stake! There has to be something I can do to help! Maybe the power of the jewel might help them!" Kagome fumed walking on at a furious pace ahead of Inuyasha.

"Kagome... If they do fail though we'd be handing the jewel over to the Banshee Queen... Maybe it would be better if you took back to your time instead..." Sango interjected and the miko stopped and looked back at her friend.

"Do you really think so Sango?" She wondered concerned.

"I think it would be better given the circumstances that it not be here..." Miroku replied with a thoughtful look. "We have a rather limited capacity to help them and keeping the Shikon no Tama safe would probably be more beneficial."

"Maybe..." Kagome looked sad and defeated and she rubbed the sizable chunk of the jewel they had already found.

"If it would make you feel better... After we get you back to your time I'll come back and keep an eye on things..." The hanyou soothed placing his hands on her shoulders gently and giving her the most comforting look he could. After a moment's hesitation she smiled and nodded.

"Let's go..." She replied looking off at the volcano. "I hope the Demon Soul is there... Maybe that will make this fight less one sided feeling." She thought to herself as she eyed the smoldering mountain.

"OI!!! KAGOME!!!" A familiar voice called from down the path as a pack of Wolf demons came into view. "I thought I smelled your delightful scent..." Kouga jeered as they drew closer. Ayame jabbed him in the side with her elbow and donned a fearsome expression.

"On your way to the city then Kouga?" Shippo wondered from his position in basket on Kagome's bike. "I'm glad you made it here safely!" He added spotting Hiyami in the middle of the pack.

"I'm glad that they are willing to harbor us..." Ayame replied happily as the Blood Guard walked up next to her.

"Off to complete the jewel?" He wondered with a concerned look as he gave the group a once over. "Please be careful..." He sighed looking down at his hands that still had traces of Black Banshee blood on them. "You have the item she gave you?" He wondered looking at Kagome intently. She nodded and patted her bag gently with a smile. "Please thank her again for that... She was resting when we left." The miko chirped trying to hide her growing worry.

"I will." His voice and face seemed light despite the thick layer of looming dread that seemed to hang in the forest as of late. "I have faith in all of you... Good luck!" He flashed Inuyasha a look as he walked on passed them. "Come back soon Inuyasha-sama!"

"I still can't believe you're a Prince of anything dog breath..." Kouga seethed eying the hanyou contemptuously as he walked past. "Take good care of Kagome!" He added only to be thumped by Ayame again.

"Good luck! Be careful!" The demoness called with a wave as more wolves filed on past them.

"What did Miyori give you?" Shippo wondered and his older companions looked at Kagome with equal curiosity.

"Something to use if we get attacked by Banshees. It was kinda weird because she said we probably wouldn't need it if Inuyasha used Tetsusaiga... She wouldn't go into any detail though." The brunette explained pushing her bike on down the dusty path. "Come on the days are getting short and I don't like hiking in the cold!" To Inuyasha and the others it seemed like just when things had been pretty well cleared up, they got muddled and confusing again. With little other leads to go on they headed toward the volcano.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten: Shikon no Tama**_

"I'm glad that we can enter into an alliance with your tribe once again!" The elder dog demon beamed as he greeted Kouga and his people at the door.

"It's nice to know we have friends in high places..." Kouga stammered as the full size of the hidden city became evident to him. "Sugoi..." Miyori giggled a little and took Ayame's hand.

"Come along Lady Ayame! We have a quarter of the city reserved for you and your tribe! I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to cleaned completely though. Hopefully there's enough room!" The new Matriarch smiled warmly as she led the wolf to the far west side of town. For years it had been used largely as a storage facility or run over housing during time of natural disaster. This was the first time in nearly 500 years it had been used as run over for an unnatural disaster...

"I'm sure it will be perfectly fine!" Ayame replied with a giggle as she aloud herself to be led away.

"I want a race..." Kouga commented randomly as he stared down a new rival in the form of Hiyami.

"Hiyami! Come on the troops are assembled for drill stop messing around!" Mitsugaya called from up the hill a good bit.

"Maybe some other time comrade!" He cheered with a smile and a wave before jogging up the hill to his sister. Curious as to what she meant by "troops" and "drills" Kouga followed idly behind them. "He's following us..."

"I know... Perhaps we can toughen up those pups some and make them useful in the upcoming battle. If you recall not all minions of the Queen of Darkness are Banshees." Mitsugaya was clearly pleased by Kouga's interest. "We need to keep training Miyori too... She's getting stronger with each passing day as the Lady's power takes hold. She's even mostly transformed!"

"And then there's the matter of Sesshoumaru..." Hiyami sighed grudgingly.

"She's our leader now since he won't assume power so we must trust in her wisdom right now. If she thinks he can be trusted he has my basic trust... My very basic trust..." The older sibling sighed as they passed the gates into the training grounds.

"Squadron one! Upper level for weapons training! Squadron two! Lower level for youki attack training! Divide and prepare for training!" The field was crammed full of demons of all ages. And Hiyami commanded then all with a firm voice to make them group up.

"Wow... All of these are trained fighters?" Kouga was wide eyed and no longer cared to try to hide his presence. "No wonder the West as yet to be disputed..." Mitsugaya started laughing and patted Kouga on the shoulder.

"Oh it's been disputed... That's why we keep such a force. Although, if you think this is impressive you should check out the temple. Miyori-sama and the elders are training the Blood Clergy there and potential initiates to the Order." She beamed pointing to the temple visible at the top of the hill.

"Blood Clergy?" Kouga was clearly confused but a young Blood Priest poked his arm and got his attention.

"I'll show you!" He beamed with a friendly smile as he took the wolf by the hand. "I like giving the tours! It's fun!"

"Don't worry he's very good at it!" Mitsugaya replied noticing Kouga's confused look. The little boy led him away and explained how the city worked to him in great detail.

Elsewhere:

"This volcano is huge! It didn't look nearly as big yesterday!" Kagome gasped looking up at the ominous natural structure with awe and respect. "It's funny though... This mountain isn't on my map at all either!" She looked down at her detailed map of Japan then back up at the mountain.

"What do you mean Kagome?" Sango wondered eying the map like a foreign creature ready to attack her at any moment.

"It's like... even in my time... this whole area doesn't exist..." She replied with confusion as she twisted the map around in every direction. "I wonder if it has something to do with the barrier..."

"It's entirely possible for the effects of a barrier that powerful and channeled for so long to linger for a long time if it isn't dispelled." Miroku interjected thoughtfully as he pondered the notion in his mind.

"The barrier is meant to keep the area hidden so it would be hard to dispel what you don't know is there..." Sango added as they started walking on again.

"Could that also mean the dog demon kingdom still exists in your time?" Shippou wondered scratching his head and tilting it slightly.

"It's possible... But if the outcome hasn't been decided yet it's more likely a fragment of this barrier." Inuyasha added with a hint of annoyance.

"Inuyasha's right... The things we do here directly effect my time... If we can't defeat her here the future will change completely." Kagome was worried now and it reflected in her voice as she spoke.

"Ah don't worry we'll think of something... Who knows maybe what we need is around this volcano somewhere..." The hanyou jeered elbowing her gently.

"We should probably set up camp for the night." Sango commented as she gazed up at some rather ominous looking clouds. "They're coming this way fast." The group quickly set up their camp and a steady fire just in time for a cold drizzle of slush. It was almost dark when a set of glowing eyes appeared ominously in the haze that covered the path they had been following. Inuyasha and Miroku got on guard as they eyes slowly approached, swaying back and forth like a drunkard owned them.

"I sense a Shikon shard... No several..." Kagome gasped in a whisper as she sprang to her feet and watched the figure intensely. A rather harmless looking demon stumbled up and stopped a good distance away from the wary group.

"I was told by villagers far away from here that there was a priestess collecting the broken Shikon no Tama... I sincerely hope I found her..." His voice was weak and haggard as he dropped to his knees and looked at the group with pleading eyes.

"We are seeking to restore the jewel..." Kagome called stepping forward and looking at the demon warily.

"Then I can die now in peace knowing the shards are in good hands..." He smiled and planted face first in the dirt.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha wondered resting his sword on his shoulder and scratching his head.

"That was rather..." Miroku started trying to think of a word to sum up the situation.

"Anti-climatic?" Kagome interjected as she ran over to the demon. She reached down to touch his neck where the two shards were glowing when a low growl stopped her.

"You have to cut them out..." The demon whispered weakly.

"What do you mean?" The miko wondered confused as she backed away slightly.

"I'm a Banshee... If you touch me I'll absorb your energy and possibly kill you..." He muttered rolling over to better expose the shards.

"Why are you bringing us the shards?" Sango wondered suspiciously as she grabbed Kagome and pulled her back to a safe distance. "Doesn't your Queen want them?"

"Hai..." Was all the response they got, after a few long moments of silence he continued. "The shards were pure when I found them and since I had no will of my own they remained that way. They allowed me to reclaim my soul from the Queen but because they are pure they're killing my tainted body. I knew before hand there were people looking for the shattered jewel and once I had my senses returned I came to give them to you. You must keep her from gaining control of the jewel!" His voice broke from time to time but the genuine compassion and desperation shone through with each word. With resolution and clenched fists Kagome run over and plucked the shards from the side of the demon's neck as fast as she could. He screamed in pain and writhed on the ground knocking Kagome away during the fit. As the pain subsided he looked at the miko bewildered. "Crazy miko... Why didn't you just kill me?"

"If you wanted the jewel you could have taken it long before now. But you told us exactly what you were and even surrendered to us..." Kagome smiled as she clutched the two shards in one hand and pushed herself up off the ground with the other. It was then he noticed the dirty hand print on her arm from where he pushed her off.

"I didn't... absorb anything from you..." He stammered setting his confused gaze towards the darkening sky as the storm's intensity increased. He squinted against the thickening falling snow but wouldn't say a word as Kagome inched towards him.

"You should get over here by the fire... If you're so weak you shouldn't lay out here in the cold." She urged kneeling down next to him. He just nodded slowly and rolled over on his stomach to get up.

"It is very odd that you were able to touch her and not absorb her energy..." Miroku pondered as they sat under a canopy around the fire. "Perhaps the shards have something to do with that... Or the fact that you regained your soul allows you to control your abilities better." He added looking up at the soggy demon across from him.

"I think that is probably the case..." Sango chimed in nodding as she ate her cup soup.

"I don't really want to risk it just being chance... So please try not to touch me..." The Banshee was still very pensive and confused looking as he slowly siphoned energy from the fire to heal. Inuyasha had an epiphany moment and dashed off into the woods. Everyone looked after him strangely but a few minutes later he reappeared with a very frightened but alive rabbit.

"Here's the way we're going to find out..." He beamed holding the rabbit out by its hind legs towards the Banshee. With shaky hands the demon reached out and took the rabbit carefully and gently. To his surprise he felt no charge of energy enter his body from the tiny creature.

"I can't believe this..." He smiled and gently petted the creature as it started to calm down. "The Shikon jewel in amazing!"

"Well this certainly is a startling turn of events..." Myoga's voice interjected randomly scaring everyone present. "I don't think it would be frugal to try to use the Shikon no Tama as a means of converting the Banshees though..."

"What about Tenesaiga?" Shippou commented excitedly.

"What do you mean Shippou?" Kagome asked looking at him oddly.

"Well if we could fuse the Shikon and Tenesaiga like Inuyasha fused some of the shards with Tetsusaiga... Wouldn't that make it more powerful? And make it purify the Banshees instead of killing them?" He added enthusiastically.

"As I understand it... Tenesaiga is in the hands of a demon... The demonic power used to create Tenesaiga's abilities would likely corrupt the jewel and possibly warp the effectiveness of the sword. I wouldn't risk it..." The Banshee responded causing the others to nod.

"If a pure heart could wield Tenesaiga that could be an option though." Sango added thoughtfully as she shifted in her seat.

"Ha! That would mean convincing Sesshoumaru to let Miyori use it!" Inuyasha laughed as he resumed his seat around the fire.

"I don't think that will happen..." Miroku sighed resting his head in his hands. "We should get some rest so we can continue on tomorrow though..."

"Say! You never did tell us your name!" Shippou pouted eying the Banshee.

"Yukari... Yukari Kumitsero..." He replied with a weary smile. "Thanks for asking..." Shippou donned his broad childish smile before snuggling up next to Kilala. Inuyasha eyed the other demon cautiously, obviously not putting his full trust in the Banshee just yet. The look did little to shake the Banshee, he was still very weak and tired. He posed no threat and perceived Inuyasha as the same in the presence of the holy miko. The little rabbit scampered away as he released it and laid down on his side.

The next morning was quite cold and a good amount of snow had covered the ground from where they had reached a higher elevation. The fire had been fed and roared briskly as Kagome and the others pried themselves up and shivered against the cold. "Where'd Inuyasha and Yukari go?" Kagome wondered looking around a bit worried. "I hope Inuyasha didn't start something..." She growled as a vein in her forehead popped slightly.

"Quite the opposite... He was very helpful in gathering wood to keep the fire going... I was worried it might get too cold for all of you." Yukari chimed appearing from the woods behind their camp holding a pile of fish in his hands. "I hope everyone is hungry!" Inuyasha appeared a few seconds later carrying more wood for the fire.

"I'm glad Miyori stocked us up well before letting us leave!" Sango cheered snuggling the thick blanket she had been given.

"She is as thoughtful as she is wise..." Myoga interjected before sneezing and hopping down closer to the fire.

"This Miyori you speak of... She's the ward of the Daiyoukai... He trained her... She's discovered her full powers then I'd hope if she's leading the Tribe now." Yukari seemed sad by the thought of Miyori running the tribe. "Luckily The Queen thinks the Matriarch is alive still... That's good for us..."

"How do you know about her?" Inuyasha was suspicious now.

"I'm one of the sole survivors of the first war between our tribes... I used to spy on your tribe and work with the infiltrator we had amongst your people. Once he died I had to gather information by myself... For some reason I couldn't bring myself to tell her everything once she reawakened... She had to find out on her own about the Daiyoukai being dead... She thinks Miyori is dead as well but she doesn't know about the Matriarch..." Yukari explained with sadness in his voice as if he regretted all these things had come to pass... "All of her plans lie around capturing the Matriarch and using her blood to create an enchantment of invulnerability." He added arranging the fish to roast over the fire. After his task was done he started walking away down the road in the direction he had came the night before.

"Where are you going Yukari!" Kagome called running after him.

"She wants you to find the Jewel and fix it... I'm going to throw her off your trail... I'm going to tell her it was broken into two pieces in a struggle and I couldn't track them both... I'll lead her far away after the pieces you don't have. Please finish the Jewel and find a way to destroy it... or something." He replied not bothering to stop.

"If she finds out you're lying..." Shippou called running up next to Kagome.

"She'll destroy me... But trust me... I'd rather die than serve her a second time... This is what I must do to atone for what I've done. Good luck!" He waved as he continued walking down the road.

"Do you really think we can just let him go?" Inuyasha growled gripping Tetsusaiga's hilt.

"Yes..." Kagome sighed pulling the shard he had once possessed from the vial she kept them in. "They are now as they were when I pulled them out of him... I haven't had a chance to purify them you know..." Inuyasha eyed the shards and sighed as he let go of the sword.

"Let's hurry up and get to the stupid volcano..."

"So how many more shards do you think we have left to collect?" Shippou wondered as he and Kagome eyed the shards in the sparkling light reflecting off the fallen snow.

"Given the average size of the shards so far... If you don't count the ones Kouga got back then just a few more... Maybe three or four." She replied pondering the thought as they walked. "It doesn't seem like we should be so close given how long it took us to get them all to begin with. I'm kinda glad it turned out this way though..." She added with a smile.

"Yes if everything works out with destroying the Banshee Queen you'll be able to return to you normal life Kagome." Miroku commented catching a stray snowflake as it fell.

"What is normal exactly?" The miko wondered to herself as a forlorn look washed over her features.

"Did I say something wrong?" The monk questioned noticing her expression. His remark was met by a swift smack from Sango as a vein popped in her forehead.

"You really are clueless sometimes aren't you?" She fumed patting Kagome on the back.

"You just have to decide what's going to be best for you Kagome... What's going to make you happy." The older woman soothed and the miko perked up a bit, her mind was still swimming.

"I had been putting the thought off because of our search but what will I do when this is all over? Can I really go back and stay in my time without Inuyasha and the others? Could I really be so selfish as to ask him to come with me? But would staying here and not being near my family be any better?" She thought to herself as she walked. Her half hearted attempt at walking drove her stright into a rut that made her trip and fall. Inuyasha caught her and held her up by an arm gently.

"Geez Kagome stop spacing out! We need to be on guard! We don't know what could be waiting for us up there!" He groaned setting her up right and walking on.

"Sorry..." She muttered regaining her focus and following on.

"Heh... Looks like I've finally got you trained not to talk back..." The hanyou gloated and a smug smile.

"Sit..." The hanyou fell face first into the dirt and grumble something incoherent as he munched dirt.

"Totally clueless..." Sango commented as they walked over him.

"Always..." Kagome added shaking her head. Shippou on the other hand looked utterly lost.

By the end of the day they had reached the foot of the volcano and the weather had cleared up significantly. It appeared as thought tomorrow would be a good day for a climb to the top. It also seemed as though they wouldn't be alone... A group of monks happened upon them as they were setting up camp for the night.

"Hail travelers! Are you going to pay respects to the Lady of the Mountain?" One of the monks wondered as he waved to the group. His jubilation quickly faded as he spotted the half demon Inuyasha. The presence of the hanyou put all the monks on guard. "You're sympathizers of that demon tribe in this area! You'll find we offer a most harsh punishment to those of your kind!"

"Sympathizers? I thought the dog demon tribe stayed out of the affairs of those outside of their domain..." Miroku soothed taking a step forward.

"The demons who rule over this area certainly dogs of a sort but what kind of demon they are we can not be certain." Another monk chimed in with malice in his voice.

"I assure you we have had nothing to do with any malicious beings in this area. We simply investigate strange happenings and these demons you speak of are the reason we're here." Miroku soothed again in a very humble tone. Though his words weren't entirely true they seemed to have some effect on the other monks. "We were told the Lady of the Mountain might bless us with the knowledge of how to combat them."

"That's why we've come here..." The first young monk spoke again in a less harsh tone. "We have found their carcasses littering the forests of that mountain..." He pointed in the direction of the Capitol they had just left. "So surely there's a way..."

"Bodies of dead Banshees?" Kagome gasped looking at Sango and the others with the same worried expression she was met with in their faces. "We should keep going..." She said resolutely as she spun around and started packing things up.

"Do you think it's a wise decision to try hiking up the mountain in the dark?" Sango wondered stopping the miko.

"We promised them we would do this! If they're under attack already then we don't have time to sit around!" Kagome was as passionate as she was beautiful and by now they had grow used to not stopping her in a mood like this.

"Let's go then..." Inuyasha replied stepping out of the shadows so he could be viewed fully in the torch light.

"Those ears... You're one of them!" Another monk gasped backing away from Inuyasha slowly. "The Oracle told us about a demon with white hair and ears like a dog... You're going to save us from a terrible disaster!" Inuyasha blinked a few times then started walking again.

"I have no idea what you're blabbing about... All i'm interested in saving is Shikon no Tama so I can become a full demon..." He remarked rather unphased by the monk's words.

"Well at least they don't want to kill him anymore..." Kagome sighed slinging her huge pack on her bike and following after the hanyou.

"Inuyasha-sama... There's something strange about this mountain... I think there is definitely something here but I can't discern its nature... I hope that this Lady of the Moutain can help us..."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven: Trials**_

To the delight of the cold and weary travelers, the further up the mountain they got, the warmer it became. Though the warmer temperature was a welcome relief as the full moon peered out from behind a cloud, the further up they got, the more uneasy Inuyasha became. It felt as though some deep and inescapable part of him dreaded what maybe at the top of the mountain. Try as he might he couldn't get the feeling to go away, nor could he pinpoint its source. Even further into the night he swore the lack of sleep was starting to get to him as barely audible whispers filled his ears. From time to time he would stop and look around but they would stop as soon as they came, causing him to shrug them off in his fashion.

"Why have you come here?"

"Inuyasha are you all right?" Kagome finally wondered after she was sure his strange behavior she had noticed wasn't an isolated incident. He shook his head yes but his face seemed concerned.

"What do you seek?"

"I just have this weird feeling is all..." He replied shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you think you're worthy?"

"Could it be danger?" One of the monks wondered frightened. "If it has him spooked..." Inuyasha was about to turn and gripe about not being spooked when the whole landscape changed before his very eyes.

"Do you think you're ready?" The voice which had merely been a whisper in his mind that he chose to ignore, was now clear as the voices of his friends just moments ago.

"What the Hell... KAGOME! MIROKU! SANGO!" He yelled spinning around wildly.

"They can't hear you..." An eerie woman's voice called out from somewhere within the foggy landscape. It was bright, brighter than it had been before this strange event had started. Sudden and fierce winds kicked up around him blowing away all the fog and nearly taking the hanyou with them. As his feet started leaving the ground he dug Tetsusaiga in the dirt and hunkered down against them. "If you're here you must think you're worthy of the power..." She added as he pried his eyes open and looked around.

"Who are you and what have you done to my friends?!" He yelled angrily as he got to his feet and pointed his sword at the ghastly apparition. The image before him was that of young woman of her early twenties with long hair and a ghostly white appearance.

"You have come far Inuyasha of the West... But I fear your heart is not yet worthy of that which you seek..." She replied walking past him and on up the path.

"What do you think I'm after?" He wondered in the defensive voice he usually took when he was unsure of the situation. "And answer my question! Where are my friends?" He seethed baring his fangs and claws as he turned to face her.

"Your friends are safe... I'm a hallucination of sorts. Though with hallucinations it's hard to tell what's real and fake isn't it? As for why you're here... You're after my power..." She replied without stopping, making him jog to catch up, though he kept his distance as he followed her.

"I don't even know what your power is... I'm here to help a friend!" He yelled angrily as what he perceived as a game started to irritate him.

"Remarkable how loosely you use that term now... Is that what you really think of Miyori? Would you die for her like you would for Kagome or Miroku... Sango... Shippou?" She stopped and stared out over the lands the hanyou and his group had just left. She passed her hand through the air and the whole forest was set ablaze. "I can make them disappear for you if you'd like. Make that whole place that makes you angry and confused and happy all at once be nothing but a figment of your memory... Being so conflicted isn't good for you... it makes you weak and indecisive. If they all disappeared you wouldn't have to fight your feelings of anger and abandonment with your feelings of kinship and trust."

"STOP! Even if I wouldn't die for her I still would call her my friend and I don't want her to die! I know what it's like to have a power inside that could destroy you! She helped me conquer mine! It's the least I can do to help her conquer her own inner demon! Just because I wouldn't want to die for her doesn't mean I want her to die for me..." His voice trailed off as the words his Father spoke echoed in his mind. "It isn't fair to expect someone to fight for you though is it?" He went on thinking about his promise. The apparition smiled warmly and color started to pour over her blithe figure and the scenery returned to normal.

"That which grips Miyori's very soul is no demon... but something far more powerful. Only one question remains then Inuyasha... When you finish the Shikon no Tama... What will you do with it?" She wondered turning to face him.

"I decided that a long time ago... If you know so much about me then you should know what I decided on." He smirked and threw his sword on his shoulder.

"You have a human heart like mine... Human hearts are weak... When the time comes listen to your soul not your heart, that is your first test. Before you leave this sacred mountain have the miko give you the item the Blood Priestess gave her. Mix it with the sacred dirt of this mountain and coat your blade in it. Use the attack it will grant you with only the purest intentions or it will kill you. That is your second test. Return to me when these tasks are done." She explained turning to face him as she spoke.

"Why do I have to be the one that's tested? Kagome is pure and good can't you just trust her?" The hanyou wondered confused by the figure's demands.

"Only someone with from the Lady's bloodline can carry the Demon Soul and not perish from its power." Was all she said as a brilliant flash of light poured out from behind her. Inuyasha blinked against the light and he was back on the dark mountain where he had started.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screeched shaking him hard.

"I'M FINE! We're leaving!" He yelled annoyed as he gently repelled her.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked confused as the hanyou turned and started back down the path.

"I have to pass a test before she'll give me the Demon Soul." He answered still annoyed without stopping.

"What do you mean?" Sango was curious as she pushed past the monks to follow him.

"Evidently I'm the only one here that can carry the stupid thing. But she won't give it to mean until I pass two tests and live." He explained finally stopping and kneeling down. "Hey Kagome give me whatever Miyori gave you."

"Umm okay..." The miko dug around in her bag and after a moment pulled out a sizable vial of blood.

"Blood? What kind of priestess are you?!" One of the monks yelled disturbed and far less trusting than he had been previously.

"That blood is from a being blessed with the ability to kill those demons that have invaded these lands." Miroku explained as Inuyasha uncorked it and dumped it on the ground.

"THEN WHY IS HE WASTING IT LIKE THAT?!" The monks gasped in unison as the last drops poured out onto the dirt. The hanyou took the mud and rubbed it on the released Tetsusaiga until it was completely covered.

"Shut up already... I'm just doing what the creepy ghost told me to..." He muttered as he worked.

"THE LADY OF THE MOUNTAIN?!" The monks gasped again in unison. "SPOKE TO A RUDE, CRUDE, INGRATEFUL HALF DEMON LIKE YOU?!" The veins in the aforementioned hanyou's forehead started popping but before he could make a retort the mud on the blade started to harden and change colors. The drier it got, the more it began to crack and break apart. In one dramatic explosion, all the mud shot off violently leaving just a blue crystallized sword.

"The dirt here has power against the Banshees... That's why Miyori said we wouldn't need her blood... They can't come here..." Inuyasha commented as he put the sword back in its sheath. "You should take some with you... Maybe you can use it to set up a perimeter around your temple to protect it." He suggested continuing his walk down the mountain. "Or you could just stay here for awhile..." Kagome and the others followed after him but the miko stopped where a pile of the blue crystallized dirt had laid to rest. She scooped up the fragments on a whim thinking they would make pretty trinkets later.

"Inuyasha... You said you had to be tested in order to get the Demon Soul... Do you know what those tests are?" Miroku wondered jogging to catch up to the hanyou.

"Of course..." The monk looked on expectantly waiting for the half demon to explain the tests but he wouldn't.

"We should find some leads about where the other shards might be... Besides hitching a ride in Kouga's legs." Was all he said instead, not letting on that he was, in fact, partially answering the question.

"I wonder if Miyori knew that Inuyasha would get a new form of Tetsusaiga... She did say that if he used it we wouldn't need her blood." Kagome wondered aloud as they walked.

"I don't think she knew that exactly but I think she had an inkling that something like this might happen." Miroku sighed deep in thought. "Perhaps we should make a camp now then since our rush has been delayed slightly. It would be better to sleep at this elevation where its warmer."

"You're probably right monk..." Inuyasha sighed as he slowed to a stop. "I'd say all of you are pretty wore out." Kagome could tell from the way that her friend was acting that whatever the tests were, they were serious though he wouldn't tell them what they were. Truthfully Inuyasha was worried about the coming new moon and hoped that they could finish their search and his tests before then. He wasn't hopeful that they would be that fortunate though...

Back in the Capital:

"Hiyami! Stop messing with him and give him his shards back!" Miyori called annoyed as she walked past a breathless Kouga and up to the Lieutenant General. She reached out her open palm expectantly waiting for him to give her the shards. He rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed them over slowly.

"If Inuyasha-dono could learn to do it without Tetsusaiga then Kouga can do it without those shards." The Blood Guard called a little annoyed by her intrusion. She looked back and smiled warmly at him indicating she had something planned. The wolf demon was completely unamused by the whole thing and was questioning why he even asked for help to begin with.

"Kouga-san... Do you really think you need these to be strong or do you hide behind them?" The wolf looked at her indignantly as he took the shards from her outstretched hand. His rashness slowed to contemplation as he drew the shards close and looked at them carefully.

"We've lost so much over the years I just wanted to be stronger to protect my people..." He sighed after a few moments.

"I suspected as much... That's why the Shards weren't desecrated by your youki as badly as I would have thought. But you know... We have many means of gaining power easily but despite that we still train our own power to make it grow. You have a great strength you just need to help it grow...But you can't do that by hiding behind the power handed to you easily. That's not how you become powerful... That's not how you protect people." She explained pushing his fingers around the faintly glowing shards, closing his hand.

"Relying on the strength of outside means as your only source of strength will only get you so far. Using that means as a catalyst to gain your own strength..." Kouga muttered flipping his hand over and giving the shards back to Miyori with a smile. He laughed a little as he walked past her and confronted Hiyami. "All those shards ever helped me do was run away faster... Let's go dogface..." He jeered jokingly as he eyed the dog demon with a smirk.

"Dogface? Well that's not very nice..." Hiyami faked being injured by the jeer with his voice but there was a smile on his face.

"Mitsugaya-san... You know what you have to do with these..." Miyori called as the General came to a stop where Kouga had been standing.

"I'll have them purified fully at the temple and guarded until they return." She left with the shards and Miyori looked out through the falling snow toward the volcano.

"Lady Miyori... You called with a task for the initiates?" A young apprentice Blood Guard wondered kneeling before her.

"Yes... I'm going to help you train your physical strength by keeping the main causeway clear of snow... If you think you and your fellows are up to the challenge." She replied perking up some in the face of the youngsters as she started walking over to a collection of brooms. "If the causeway ices up it will be hard to move people and supplies through the town in the event of an attack."

"I understand Lady Miyori... We'll happily accept this task as training if it will help the city!" The young boy called not getting up from his kneeling position. He stood up finally and motioned for the group of twenty or so young initiates to come to him. He was the wasn't the oldest at sixteen or so but commanded that group. They ranged in age from fourteen to seventeen and were mostly boys, although a few tough girls looked on eagerly. This particular group were humans who were yet to make the pact to become Blood Guards. Tribal law dictated that eighteen was the earliest age humans could be tests for the pact to ensure they were at their strongest. For training purposes, the human child and demon children entered into the militia were kept separate until the pact.

"Your enthusiasm brings joy to my weary heart..." The new Matriarch mused passing out the brooms.

"The protection of our home falls on all of us who can rise up to protect it." The leader of the group replied gripping his broom as if it were the most dear thing he'd ever been given.

"I'm sure such inspirational words are why these good soldiers elected you as their group leader." Miyori smiled as she ushered the children out of the training grounds and toward the main part of the city.

"Leadership that is so involved in the maintenance of our home is the real determining factor for our success all this time... Or so I've been told... I think you're doing very well so far Lady Miyori." He added a bit bashful as his cheeks flushed slightly.

"I'll try to live up to those lofty expectations!" She laughed a little as she started sweeping the snow off the steps. "Oh would some of you please clear the market street and square? If you know of any elderly who live along the way please clear a path for them." She added thinking about any other areas that might need to be cleared. "Yes we must clear the road from the old town for our new allies as well."

"Show us the brooms and we can do it ourselves!" Ayame announced proudly as she appeared a few steps below. "We aren't just going to sit around and let you do all the work. We have a little pride you know!"

"I'm sorry Miss Ayame... I was inconsiderate by not including you!" Miyori gasped embarrassed as she bowed to the sassy Wolf. "Let me get some more brooms from the supply shed!" She added running off up the hill quite gracefully until she tripped on her own hakama and fell sideways on the step. "I'm okay!" She yelled feverishly as she got up and continued up the steps before veering off to the right down a side street.

"If I hadn't seen what she did with my own eyes I would seriously be doubting why we're here..." One of Ayame's accomplices sighed shaking his head.

"What did she do?" The yooung man wondered looking at the wolf demon curiously.

"She brought half out tribe back from the brink of death's door... She saved us from that horrible creature..." Ayame replied with a grateful smile.

"Miyori is developing her abilities as the Matriarch nicely..." The tribe elder mused with a smile. "Perhaps in time they will fully awaken and she'll finish her ascension before the Queen of Darkness makes her move."

"If she doesn't?" Ayame wondered amazed by the thought that Miyori could get any stronger.

"Then I'm afraid our fate rests in the hand of Sesshoumaru and Tenesaiga. If he can prove stronger than his father he may be able to defeat her with the sword where his father failed." The elder was a sly and cunning old demon. He knew Sesshoumaru was lurking and what his ambitions had been from even a young age. His words were carefully chosen to give not only an answer to the youngsters but a thorn in the side of Sesshoumaru. "I don't think he's capable of such a feat though." The icing on the cake... The Daiyoukai turned and walked away down an alley towards the old side of the town. He was leaving through his old escape route for reasons only he needed to know. Though it was clear to the elder he would be back since he was leaving without his attachments.

"I'll prove that this Sesshoumaru is not a weakling like my Father. If truly mastering this sword will do that... mastering this sword is what I'll do..." He thought to himself as he passed through the old town to the very bottom of the hill. The city was designed to slope down hill and off to both sides. All of the drainage int the city fed to a giant basin and eventually to a lake several miles away on another side of the mountain. Massive grates covered passages into the sewers including small accesses outside of the city the lined the pipe leading to the lake. As a child Sesshoumaru often used these routes as a means of leaving the city unnoticed, since the drain work prevented a heavy watch tower from being built nearby. The passage wasn't as large as he remembered it seeing as he had grown considerably since last using it. Despite this, he still passed through it easily and out the closest access point. He had sensed movements in the forest and decided this was a fine opportunity to test the sword.

As the Daiyoukai look out at the surroundings he spotted the volcano and wondered why it seemed so out of place. The smoke gently emanating up from it seemed foreign... He shrugged that off and let his mind continue on to another thought. Why would his Father claim a city so close to an active volcano as his base of operations? He decided after a brief moment that the inner workings of the mind of his Father weren't worth his time. He was out here to fight and to make his mastery of this blasted sword so utterly complete the he could use it against the Banshee Queen and slay her. Nothing else would come between him and that singular purpose from now on. Or so he thought until a blond demoness appeared on a tree looming in front of him.

"You always were strange with your notions of training..." She called hopping out of the tree.

"You always were strange with your notions of how a girl... much less one of rank should dress and behave." He scowled in response as he started walking away. She followed him at a comfortable distance to talk casually.

"I had a poor example of what it meant to be a lady... You adore that about her though didn't you? That she set herself apart in every possible way?" The demoness wondered as she continued her leisurely pursuit.

"You are not my Mother... Your foolish endeavors to compare yourself to her are not only presumptuous and fool-hearty they are the mechanism of your own weakness. Just because you inherited her power doesn't make you strong nor a good leader." The demon hissed angrily as he stopped but wouldn't look at her.

"I know that's why I need your help... I can't become stronger myself without understanding the power your Mother possessed and building from it. If you can help me understand that... I'll help you understand and master Tenesaiga." Her voice had changed, it seemed regretful and sad now. The demon sighed long and took a deep breath.

"Despite my best efforts to be rid of you I seem to be stuck with you for longer than I would like..." He grumbled massaging one of his temples. He didn't want to admit it but she was right, he could master the sword faster under the counsel of someone who understood its true power.

"I'm sorry... I know that there's nothing else you'd like more than to just walk away and never think of this place or me ever again. I promise you if you help me with this I'll defeat that wretch beast and you'll be free to go about your merry way." Miyori sighed letting a snowflake fall into her outstretched hand. She watched it melt slowly and disappear as more reached her fingertips.

"First lesson... Stop apologizing... Your lack of self-confidence is sickening and the first major difference between you and her. Never doubt your own power or judgment... EVER..." Sesshoumaru scolded as he turned to face her.

"First lesson... Tenesaiga is not just a weapon... It is a living extension of your body. Respect it like you respect any other part of your body. Only when you learn to accept it will you be able to utilize it fully." Miyori replied tipping her hand and letting the water pour out of it. "Where should we go from there?"

"You came to me for help... You figure it out." He turned away and continued his pursuit for the pack of Banshees in the area.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve: Crucible of Wills**_

"Lady Miyori has been absent quite a bit this last week don't you think?" The elder's apprentice wondered as the pair looked out over the snow covered city.

"I believe she is training as are many of us. What that training involves though I can not be certain..." The elder replied before slowly making his way down the great stairway.

"Stop being so weak! Attack me as if you would kill me!" Sesshoumaru growled aggravated as he easily dodged another of Miyori's attacks. Fed up with her inability to fight him seriously he drove his youki whip through her left sword and pinned her to a tree. With piercing eyes he set his sights on her and sent a blast from his sword right at her. "You don't deserve to be the Matriarch!" His attack exploded before hitting its mark and when the smoke cleared Miyori was holding his youki whip in one hand and her chest with the other. The smell of searing flesh filled the air as she released the whip and pushed herself up.

"I can't fight you with all my strength!" She sobbed as her hand started to heal. "I'm afraid I'll hurt you!"

"Then you can just heal those wounds can you not? Stupid wench!" He knocked her legs out from under her but she seemed completely unfazed. She was too deep in thought and wondering why she never thought of that. She felt the whip burning through her back but she quickly separated her flesh from the whip with a shield of her own unique energy. The surge of energy she sent out made the whip shatter much to the Daiyoukai's surprise. As she pushed herself up she screamed as he drove his sword through her stomach and pinned her to the ground. In efforts, though slightly improved still made him angry for their lack of power. She struggled under his weight to get up as the sword dug further into the ground, the hilt cracking ribs as it bared down. "I should have done this long ago..." He sneered but his victory had yet to be earned... The demon found himself flying through the air as the Blood Priestess sent energy blasts out of her hand and mouth to propel herself into the air. She directed her energy to push the sword out of her body causing it hurtle out and land inches from the dazed Sesshoumaru's head. Bleeding profusely the demoness landed on her feet but quickly slumped to all four. "Is that the best you've got?" The Daiyoukai smirked pulling his sword from its resting place and pointing it at her head. "Worthless... Always completely worthless relying on others to save you."

"SHUT UP!!!" She screamed as her energy started cackling off of the snow falling around her. A wind started swirling around her that slowly started pouring out into the forest they were fighting in. "All of my life... everyone around me called me worthless... Everyone but your parents and you... until just now... I'll never forgive you... NEVER!" She had started in a whisper, barely audible above the winds but was screaming at the end, screaming in a rage. He had finally found it, her trigger and now he was staring down her true self. The hatred and darkness she always tried to hide and spent so much time fighting so she couldn't fight what was in front of her. He had finally found it and now she had to face it... He only hoped he was strong enough to conquer it if she could not. She got to her feet and with blood red eyes stared down her foe, murderous intent laced ever feature. She dug her feet into the dirt as a distinctly youki-like energy started pouring off of her.

"It seems like you can put on a good show... But I doubt this outburst will do anything to change the tides of this battle..." As he spoke she dropped her hand that had been hiding the wound he delivered to her, it was completely gone. The sent a blast from his sword but it was completely deflected, instead slicing the tree behind her to shreds and splinters. As the debris settled it became clear that the last bit of humanity Miyori had clung to was gone. Her hair had gone completely white and the marking on her face were very pronounced now. With fangs and teeth bared she lunged forward and launched an unrelenting attack on the Daiyoukai. He defended himself valiantly until he realized that her blows were warping the blade of Tokijin. Wishing not to have his favored blade destroyed in such a frivolous manner he dodged to the side and sent the blade flying into a tree. Armed now with only his raw weaponry of talon and whip he threw the enraged demoness off balance and out of the way. He wrapped the whip around her arm and threw her against a tree shattering it wholly. She gripped it and broke it off with her own youki and continued her assault. In close quarters again the Daiyoukai realized the wound to her arm had already healed, he didn't think her regenerative powers could be any faster. The split second of bewilderment was all she needed to drill both sets of claws into his chest. Her right hand broke through his armor and his ribcage and came to stop a hair before ripping through his heart. He hadn't lost his touch, his poisonous talons dug into her chest and it now ate away at her flesh. They stood there for a few tense moments panting, staring each other down, neither willing to back off.

"I am not worthless..." Miyori finally whispered slowly and carefully pulling her claws from his chest. In turn, Sesshoumaru did the same. The wound in her chest bubbled and was visibly painful but she made sure to asses his first. With a little dab here and there they started healing, the feeling of bones realigning was unsettling but the Daiyoukai took it in stride. He was smiling ever so slightly, almost saying without uttering a word that he enjoyed to foray. She couldn't decide if he enjoyed seeing her angry, truly angry or if he enjoyed being hurt by her. "I meant it... I'll never forgive you..." She said as she turned to walk away eying her wounds as she went.

"It seems I may have been mistaken... Perhaps my Father was the source of your worthlessness..." He replied retrieving his favored blade from the tree he'd left to tend to it and inspecting it careful. He noticed her pause for just a moment and glance back at him before walking on again.

"Your half-hearted apologies will do little to appease me. Tomorrow... I might not stop." She replied as he followed after her through the snow.

"I look forward to it..."

"Is it just me or has it been entirely too easy to get the last few shards?" Kagome wondered aloud as she gingerly handled the tainted fragment they had just recovered. "It's almost like they've been handed to us..."

"Yeah... I'm not very comfortable with it either... Do you think we should check on Kouga?" Miroku added looking around warily.

"That might be a good idea..." Sango answered doing the same.

"I don't think we should go back just yet..." Inuyasha almost hissed as he eyed the woods suspiciously. "Something is definitely following us and I don't like the feel of it..."

"Yeah we wouldn't want to lead them back to the city..." Kagome sighed dropping the shards into the vial with the rest of the jewel.

"Do you think it might be Banshees?" Miroku wondered walking up to the hanyou and leaning on his staff.

"No... This feels... familiar... but its not possible..." A wisp of black smoke crept past his face setting it to an expression of pure shock. "MIASMA! RUN!" He gasped spinning around and shoving Miroku out of the way. The monk spun around in time to see Inuyasha disappear in the haze.

"Let's get out of here!" He advised pulling Sango and Kagome back away from the smoke.

"What about Inuyasha!" Kagome screeched reaching out to the cloud.

"He's tough, he can take care of himself..." Sango tried soothing her but she did little to hide her own concern. "Let's go!"

"What the Hell..." Inuyasha grumbled into his sleeve as he tried to gain his bearings in the haze. "There's no way this is Naraku... Is it?" He started walking in the direction his friends should be but there seemed to be no end to darkening haze. Suddenly a dark and all to familiar laugh started echoing through the darkness added an eerie unsettling feeling to the situation. "SHOW YOURSELF NARAKU!" The hanyou screamed angrily as he slashed his sword through the darkness. "Damn it... While I'm trapped in her something bad could be happening to Kagome and the others..." He hissed to himself angrily as he slashed his way through.

"Inuyasha... I didn't think I'd see you again..." The miasma cleared just enough for the voice's owner to become clear. "Bargaining with a devil can be so rewarding sometimes..." It was clearly Naraku but at the same time something was off... Inuyasha couldn't put his finger on it but it just didn't feel right... After moment of contemplation he realized that while everything else was purely Naraku his energy felt more like a Banshee's.

"You made a deal with the devil of all devils then didn't you... Your soul for your revenge? Is that it?" The cocky half demon snickered as he pointed his blade at the newly resurrected hanyou.

"Who needs a shiney trinket when all the power in the world can be yours?" He replied as cool as ever as he slowly drew close to his long time foe. "By all means... Attack if you think it will do any good..." It was then that Hiyami's warning rang clear in Inuyasha's mind.

"Never let them touch your bare skin and never use a youki attack against them. They'll just absorb it and use it against you."

"Well if I can't use my youki against you... I'll just use my sword!" He was confident... Maybe overly so considering this would be his first encounter with a Banshee without the help of a Blood Clergy. "I just have to figure out how to use the new attack..." He thought to himself as he leaped forward and started his assault on the Banshee.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to invest so much energy to drag his soul that far our of Hell?" The Banshee Queen's pet wondered as they watched the swirling miasma.

"Absolutely... A soul as corrupt as his more than made up for it. Besides this is well beyond amusement for me... This is pure revenge... Too long have these filthy dogs stood in my way and the completion of my beautiful world. I'll crush them with their old foes imbued with my power... Once the Daiyoukai's soul is mine they'll surely turn over the Jewel and the Matriarch." The Queen had a look of unadulterated evil bliss as she watched the four left outside the miasma contently. "Go my champions... Leave the miko alive though... We need her to complete the jewel!" One hundred or more Banshees sprang from the cover of the trees and prepared their attack. As they lurched closer the blue rocks in Kagome's bag started to glow and burn. They fell to the ground at her feet and she scooped them up to examine them.

"What in the world?" She wondered examining the rocks closely. As a Banshee fell upon her to take her away blue electric sparks shot out of the crystallized soil and repelled the beast. The howl of pain it let out alerted them to the approaching attack. "These must still have some power in them!" The miko cried quickly shoving one in Miroku and Sango's hands. With nimble fingers she fashioned one into a collar for Kilala with a piece of cloth from the hakama Miyori had given her. "Stay close Shippou I don't have any more shards..." The little kitsune hugged her leg and looked on fearfully. Banshees began attacking in droves but somehow, with the help of the strange blue rocks, they were repelled.

"We can't keep this up forever... It's only stunning them." Miroku called deeply concerned by the danger growing around them.

"HIRAIKOTSU!" Sango yelled sending the demon bone weapon forward in a vain hope that it would do some good. It was in fact, the only non-energy using form of attack they had besides Miroku staffing things. To their shock and surprise the weapon seemed to amplify the power of her crystal. The Banshees it hit split apart and the piece burst into flames.

"Well that's a fortunate turn of events in our favor..." Miroku commented blinking a few times bewildered. "Kagome try you arrow!" She nodded and armed her bow with an arrow pointed at the mass of Banshees.

"Here goes nothing..." She said a small prayer before setting the arrow free. The familiar holy energy instantly became laced with blue sparks and devastating power. When the flash of exploding bodies faded, very few had been spared by the attack. "Sugoi..." Was all the miko could think to say as she looked around bewildered.

"That went better than I could have hoped..."

"Those trinkets won't have the same effect on me!" The Banshee Queen sneered as she landed before them and slowly started walking forward. Instinctively Kagome fired another arrow but it was deflected straight up into the air and exploded. Through the light of the explosion she noticed the Shikon no Tama was reacting strangely... It almost seemed as though it was losing power... Her eyes shot up the Banshee Queen, her face said it all... The miko spun around and jetted off into the forest with Shippou scampering up her leg to her shoulder.

"Miroku! Sango! Run! She's absorbing the Shikon's power!" She screamed as she ran away. "INUYASHA!!! HELP!!!" She screeched hoping somehow it would do some good and he would appear to throw the Dark Queen off her tracks. The help she got was of a different kind all together. Yukari landed in front of her and caused her to slide to a stop in his arms. He grabbed her and bolted off into the darkness. She looked back and saw Miroku and Sango close behind on Kilala. "Yukari... Thank you..." She sighed a little relieved.

"Don't thank me... I failed to throw her off your trail... And now she's pulling enemies from your past out of Hell to pursue you. First a demon named Naraku and once she gets enough power... The Daiyoukai of the West... We can't let her get the jewel or any of its power."

"This isn't working as well as I thought it would." Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he started to tire. His hand had started to bleed from gripping the rough hilt of his sword through all the attacks exchanged between him and the risen Naraku. "Why can't I figure out how to use this new attack... A little insight would have been nice..." He added deflecting one of Naraku's spiney tentacles.

"INUYASHA!!! HELP!!!"

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled back to the faint sound of the girl's scream. "Damn it!!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" The Testsusaiga started to glow a fierce hue of blue and in that instant, he knew how to wield his new attack. He focused his youki through his bloody hands and into the sword causing the color to darken. "Soul Crushing.... KAZE NO KIZU!" The blue energy attack cut through the miasma and the newly resurrected Naraku without a problem. Through the tunnel it created he could see Sango and Miroku being chased by the Banshee Queen. He lost no time running over the charred body of his nemesis to pursuit his new foe. He unleashed another of the specialized attacks but it missed. Hit or not it did make the Dark Queen divert her attention to the hanyou as the attack had caused her to feel completely ill. She flipped off a tree and came to a stop facing him with malicious eyes.

"You feel familiar..." She hissed looking him over carefully. "It seems that self-absorbed idiot was truly useless after all." She added with anger dripping off every word. The hanyou slung his sword over his shoulder and stared her down as he tried to get a feel for how powerful she might really be. She gasped as the sudden realization of who he was set in... And then she cackled wildly... "A HALF BREED?! The Daiyoukai sired a half breed?! I knew he was human lover but to bare a child with one? Really?!" She doubled over from laughing and the completely unamused Inuyasha wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. He pointed his sword at her and watched his youki swirl around it and bounce off of her own strange power.

"Soul Crushing Kaze no kizu!!!" Something was wrong this time. Blood started draining out of his hands and swirled around the blade faster than he could even realize. "Is this what she meant? I'm not using it for the right reason?" He wondered as she watched the Dark Queen right herself and walk towards him.

"What's the matter half breed? All used up already?" She teased as she pointed the blade down with one finger and got in close to his face. Ever defiant, he just smiled and chuckled a little.

"BACK OFF BITCH!" An angry high pitched voice screamed and an arrow pierced the Queen's right shoulder and whizzed just past Inuyasha's ear. She let out an angry scream as she shoved the hanyou down and went straight for the miko.

"Kagome!!!" Inuyasha yelled as he landed a few yards away. The blood that had been draining out of him flew with him and landed in a pool around him. "RUN STUPID BAKA!!!" He yelled pushing himself to his feet and trying to walk forward. It was too late, she was already in the grip of the Banshee Queen and her energy was quickly being drained.

"I thought I might keep you but you're too much of a nuisance!"

"Soul Crushing.... Kongousouha!" Piercing blue crystals blasted from the sword of a revitalized Inuyasha and drove themselves into the body of the demoness in several place. She dropped the miko and immediately leaped into the air screaming and the shards melted and burn holes into her flesh.

"DAMN YOU WRETCHED DOGS!!!" She screamed as she disappeared into the forest. Inuyasha wasted no time rushing to the unconscious miko's side and propping her up.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha-san... I couldn't hold her... She blasted me..." Yukari whispered sadly as he fell to his knees next to Kagome's head. He was missing part of his arm now, nothing but a scorched stub remained.

"Inuyasha-dono! Miyori sent me! The shards of the Shikon no Tama Kouga went completely devoid of power for a few moments!" Hiyami yelled sliding to a stop where his Prince and companions had gathered. "Oh no Kagome-san!" He gasped seeing the state she was in. "Let me take her back to Miyori!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate to pick her up and drop her in his arms.

"When she's well have her complete the jewel and destroy it..." He commented in the most serious tone anyone had ever heard him use.

"What about you Inuyasha-dono?" The Blood Guard wondered worried now about the state of mind of his prince.

"I'm going to get the Demon Soul of the West... If she destroys the Shikon no Tama I should be able to get it..." He was already running back to the volcano as he spoke.

"Be careful Inuyasha!" Sango called as she waved to his back.

"There's a party coming to retrieve you three soon... I have to hurry back. Please be safe..." Hiyami said looking at the pair before taking off with the miko into the falling night.

"New moon... OH NO! Inuyasha will be powerless once the sun sets completely!" Shippou gasped looking up at the humans completely crushed.

"We have to go help him!" Miroku cried looking at the nekomako which simply spun around and awaited their mount. With the three travelers on board she took off after the hanyou.

The fingers of the discarded corpse of Naraku slowly started to twitch and move. Some other Banshees, sent by the Queen to investigate his body would become his unsuspecting victims. He absorbed them as he had so often done in his first incarnation to rebuild his body. It was then that he had a most notorious notion... With the power contained in the Shikon jewel surely he would be strong enough to absorb her... With that kind of power nothing could stop him claiming dominion over this world... A dark smile crept across his face as his eerie laugh filled the air. "This Naraku will have his revenge yet..."

The lecherous monk let out a scream as a tremendous pain coursed up his arm. This feeling was something he had grown accustomed to for many years of his life... The curse was back... He quickly slung a rosary around it and looked at Sango in horror. "Naraku is dead..." He gasped holding her hand out to her. She looked at him horrified before looking ahead again and catching a glimpse of a very human Inuyasha running through the woods. Kilala snatch him up in her mouth and made an abrupt u-turn.

"What the Hell?!" He screamed thrashing trying to break free.

"We have bigger problems! You didn't defeat Naraku and we sent Kagome ahead with the jewel with just Hiyami! He doesn't know what Naraku is capable of!" Miroku yelled grabbing one of the hanyou's hands to get him to stop. Inuyasha growled knowing that if Naraku was still alive it would be a waste of time to continue on to the volcano, he was yet to kill a Banshee with his new attack.

"Damn It!!!" Kilala took of again back to the capital.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen: All But Forgotten**_

"A barrier? How quaint... It seems all dogs are simple minded even when in packs..." Naraku mused as he felt the tinge of a barrier touch his skin. "Well I must be close..." The powers he had gained by absorbing the Banshees made him quite pleased. If only he had known of their existence when he first sought the Shikon no Tama, it would have made his plot for domination much easier. He stopped for a moment and focused on the miko's energy, something he had learned to do as soon as he was resurrected. There were many energies in this area that made that hard to accomplish, not to mention she was in a vastly weakened state. He knew though, she was Kikyou's soul reborn and thus not without her strength and will to set her mind to something. She wouldn't give up easily so she had to be around here somewhere. It was then that he sensed something that made him feel uneasy, something powerful that may put a kink in his plans to steal the girl and the jewel. It was something he had never felt before and it was with her... The trail was growing colder already, he had to hurry or he'd lose it.

"We're being followed..." Hiyami thought to himself as he raced forward, nearly the walled city. "As fast as I am my trail should be hard to trace unless they can move as fast as me... Which is high unlikely..." Still his self boasting didn't keep him from jumping over the wall backwards to make sure he couldn't sense anyone in the immediate area. Naraku followed his trail until it stopped abruptly where the barrier became strongest.

"How quaint indeed... If that silly wench couldn't figure this out she isn't worthy of all that power she wields..." The risen hanyou mused to himself as he pushed his hand against pulsing barrier before him. Sparks radiated out from under his hand but the pain was minimal, perhaps his unique origins made him partially immune to the effects of the barrier? He shook his head, deciding that the only truly important thing was getting the Jewel right now so he could complete his plans. He started passing through it with some measure of ease until he came to a tall white stone wall. "Well this just seems unnecessary..." He chuckled as he jumped up to scale the wall.

"Heaven Shattering Howl!" A stern voice cried and an immense youki attack blasted Naraku back against a strengthened section of the barrier as soon as he cleared the wall.

"BLADES OF FATE!!" Seven youki blades pinned him to the barrier.

"What is this?!" He wondered disturbed by his inability to absorb the acts, he could barely keep the blades from ripping through him. As he looked forward a creature of stunning beauty landed on the wall soon followed by two heavily armored figures. He inspected the scene as best he could while still focusing on keeping the blades at bay he noticed a drip from the central figure's right hand. It was then he understood the warning the Banshee Queen had given him, avoid Blood Clergy until you're stronger... This... thing... was a Blood Priestess, the only person capable of defeating him. Or was she? A strange smirk crept across his face as he slowly faded out eventually allowing the blades to sail on.

"Where did he go?!" Mitsugaya hissed looking around suspiciously and slightly bewildered.

"Be quiet!" Miyori snapped spinning around with her eyes closed and surveying the city. "He somehow teleported to the far side! He's with the Wolf Tribe now!" She didn't even have a chance to open her eyes before Hiyami was but a gust of wind.

"Get out of our city you filth bastard!" He screamed driving his armored foot into Naraku's gut. The banshee flew through an old building and slid to a stop clearing wounded.

"You seem to have something I want..." He smiled since he had sucked just a bit of Hiyami's energy during the attack. He was almost completely acclimated with how this new form worked and he was fully ready to adapt it to his former body's capabilities... Not to mention spending a little time in Hell allowed him to learn a few new tricks here and there! Hiyami stood no chance without a Blood Clergy's protection from this Naraku... "Your speed means nothing in here Pup." He added as Hiyami walked into the now decrepit building, snow falling and blowing in around him.

"Unfortunately for you speed isn't the only thing I have going for me..." Hiyami noticed the black cloud swirling and growing around his feet but he chose to ignore it, an ill decision indeed.

"I lost them both! I understand Naraku was a master barrier crafter..." Mitsugaya gasped as she and Miyori landed on a nearby rooftop. They were just yards away from the fight and couldn't even tell. "Can you focus in on him?"

"Not yet... But you know it might be too late before I can... Naraku as a Banshee is even more fearsome than Naraku the hanyou... He has all of his former powers and those of the Banshee. Not to mention his human cunning and wickedness. I fear he maybe a bigger threat than even the Banshee Queen in this state. He must not leave the city..." She whispered pensively as she looked around. "Go to Kagome and the jewel and take every available Blood Clergy you can find with you. Please don't let him get the Jewel..."

"I will not fail you Milady!" Mitsugaya cried before bolting to the temple as fast as she could.

"You're tougher than I would have given you credit... Inuyasha-dono is an inexperienced fighter compared to me... Even in your empowered state you will still prove to be much less troublesome for me than you were for him..." Hiyami replied with a delighted smile as he flipped away from Naraku. He knew the Banshee was gaining minimal amounts of power from the attacks but he wasn't getting enough to heal quickly. Besides, now the keen-eyed strategist was aware of what the Banshee was plotting. Hiyami was taking chunks out of the misshapen beast but he knew it couldn't possibly be that easy to defeat this demon. The youki wasn't dissipating from the pieces like it should if they had been completely severed. Naraku was plotting something and Hiyami had no intention of falling for it. "This miasma cloud is a clever distraction but all your tricks won't save you... You're quite unfortunate indeed if you plan on trapping me in those dismembered pieces and killing me... " The Blood Guard's countenance grew serious as he took a step forward toward weary but still cocky Naraku. Though his opponent knew what he was planning, Naraku seemed completely unfazed. He had drastically reduced Hiyami's speed by bring him indoors, there was no way he could escape once the trap was sprung.

"I merely toyed with that worthless hanyou. The true depths of my power are yet to be seen by this world." The Banshee smiled as he waited for just the perfect opening. To his dismay, his miasma started to pool around the dog demon in a manner it shouldn't... then disappear.

"I'm not without my own tricks..." The Lieutenant General smiled as the haze light of an over cast day started filtering in around Naraku. Hiyami smiled as he pointed to himself and spoke in a quiet and calm voice. "Av...a...tar..." The babbling dog's words meant little to Naraku he was more focused on his next move. Unable to risk losing his prey, Naraku sprung his trap. Even Hiyami's speed couldn't avoid all of the blobs that had gathered in the tight space they had been fighting in. The damage to the shield had been done though, before he could drain Hiyami enough to fully heal Miyori descended upon him. With two crystal points she drove into his chest and broke them off as she kicked off backwards knocking him down.

"Rain of Blood!" She shouted incinerating the caccooning blob her friend had been trapped in freeing him. Naraku stumbled back shocked before fading out in an attempt to escape. Miyori froze solid in place with a terrified expression on her face when she fianally realized where he had teleported to... "Inuyasha..." She gasped looking at Hiyami desperately. "It's the time when his demonic powers wane as a hanyou... He hasn't fully embraced his inner demon and is weak right now. And they're heading right for that beast!" She fell to her knees and closed her eyes.

"Mi-chan... What are you... doing...?" The confused Blood Guard wondered as he tried to pick her up. "Tell me where he went! I can catch him!" He shook her but she wouldn't budge or speak.

"Kilala! Stop! There's a powerful demonic presence ahead of us!" Miroku shouted wide eyed as he pointed straight ahead. It was too late to miss the run in now. The group came to a stop within spitting distance of Naraku. In his fashion, Inuyasha ripped himself from the nekomako's mouth and stared his nemesis down.

"Fancy meeting you like this..." The Banshee snickered though he was in no condition to fight anyone right now considering the wounds still closing in his chest. Two puddles of red liquid were sinking into the snow on either side of him confirming Miroku's thought that a Blood Clergy had repelled Naraku. "I'd love to stay and chat but I have a priestess to kill and a jewel to claim..." He smiled as he started fading out.

Pain shot through Inuyasha's head and a thousand images flashed through his mind. They painted grim picture of Kagome's soul being consumed by Naraku and floating forever trapped in his wicked being. Adding insult to injury, her body rose and fought against him as a Banshee under Naraku. "INUYASHA! Release your demon! Kill him now! Do it or Kagome will be lost forever!" A voice screamed in his head. The hanyou let out a blood chilling growl as the blue bladed Tetsusaiga flew out of the sheath and towards the Banshee. With deadly accuracy it found its mark in one of the weakened points of his chest. Armed with claws and sharpened fangs blood red eyes of the hanyou fixed themselves on the chosen prey. Just as he was fading away, Inuyasha grabbed Naraku by the throat and faded out with him.

"What's going on?" Sango wondered at an elevated volume as she looked around wildly for where the two demons had gone. "Did you see Tetsusaiga?" She looked back at her grim faced companion who simply nodded.

"Aye... This just keeps getting stranger..."

"Soul Crushing.... Kongousouha!" He screamed sending thousands of blue shards through Naraku and into one of temple walls. Naraku looked up at him with shock as claws dug into the flesh of his neck and slowly pulled. "Rest in Hell... And this time stay there..." An enraged Inuyasha hissed in Naraku's ear just before ripping his throat out dropping him and the bloody piece of flesh to the floor. He pulled the blade handed down from his father out of the smoldering corpse and watched the blood on it smoke and burn. Slowly he came to his senses and realized that he had somehow managed to wield the sword during the new moon. He grabbed a piece of hair and watched it fade slowly back to black as the claws receded.

"Inuyasha-dono..." Mitsugaya whispered unable to articulate the shock and awe she was feeling in that moment. "Kagome-san... She's been asking for you." She finally whispered dropping to her knee and bowing her head to her Prince. The Blood Guards and Clergy protecting the room followed suit in time. Inuyasha ran past the General and into the room once the weird feeling of being bowed down to left him.

"KAGOME!" He yelled running up to her bed and practically falling on top of her to hug her.

"I was so worried when I woke up and none of you were here!" She cried into his shoulder. He kept the embrace short as he pushed her away and looked at her seriously.

"Did you put the Jewel back together?" He wondered looking her deep in the eyes. She nodded slowly. "Did you make your wish?" He wondered growing more and more concerned with each passing second.

"I wished for Midori's soul to rest in piece and for the jewel to disappear from this world forever... It's the only way to ensure it can never be used for evil!" She replied almost offended he even needed to ask. "Just like we discussed!"

"Did it work?" He wondered still not relieved. She smiled happily and nodded as she hugged him again.

"It vanished right before you busted in here." She added snuggling his shoulder slightly.

"Then you stay here and rest... I'm going to get that Demon Soul." He stood up and started walking out of the room. No one seemed to notice Sesshoumaru walk up and prod the charred remains with Tokajin then wandered away.

"This won't be the last we see of Naraku..." He thought to himself as he put his sword back at his waist.

"So... Dog face... Almost overcame your human side... Nice... I'm not looking forward to the day you embrace it fully." Kouga mused following behind the less than thrilled human.

"That day will never come..." Kouga cocked an eyebrow and was about to ask when Inuyasha answered. "My human side is nothing to be ashamed of and if accepting it keeps me from becoming a beast like Naraku... then I'll keep it as is." Kouga smiled and nodded as he continued to follow the demon Prince out of the temple. "Why are you following me?"

"I figured in your condition you might need some help getting to this Demon Soul thing these pups think we need." The wolf replied with his usual laid back smile and over-confident demeanor.

"With all due respect this isn't your fight Kouga-san." Mitsugaya called catching up to the pair.

"With all due respect Miss... General..." He looked her up and down briefly as he spoke. "This became my fight when that bitch tried to wipe out me and half my people.

"You should stay here Mitsugaya..." Inuyasha interjected as he came to a stop and turned back to her. "They'll need a tactical leader here in case of an attack." He added in an uncharacteristically responsible way as his face reflected the seriousness of his thoughts. "Miroku, Sango, and Shippou will be back soon and I'm counting on you to protect them and this city."

"You should go General..." Sesshoumaru commented walking towards them going down the hill. "This Sesshoumaru is more than capable of protecting this rock..." He didn't stop walking but his words made Mitsugaya chase after him.

"It's a little late to seek redemption don't you think?" She growled grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to a stop.

"You would do well to unhand me before become angry... onna." He replied glancing down at her hand. She narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on his wrist, her stone solemn face never flinching. "I have no intention of seeking redemption from the miserable inhabitants of this city or any of my Father's lands. I have no regrets for leaving..." He hissed throwing his whip in her direction. His eyes for the briefest instant reflected shock when she caught the whip with her hand shielded by her own youki.

"Then why are you still here?" She seethed leaning in ready to attack him without notice.

"I have a score to settle with the Banshee wrench..." He answered unamused as he retracted the whip and diverted his glance away from her piercing eyes.

"Then do it on you own... We have you use for you here..." She growled as she threw his arm away and turned back to Inuyasha. "I hope you rot in Hell for your sins..."

"This Seshoumaru has no intention of dying foolishly like my Father..." Was all he said as he walked away.

"Hiyami is more than capable of watching things here. Let's go!" Mitsugaya angrily barked as she grabbed Inuyasha's arm and started tugging him down the hill. "Son of bitch! That Sesshoumaru is the worst!" She thought to herself as she watched him leisurely walk down the snow covered steps ahead of her. As they rushed past him she glanced at him darkly from the corner of her eye. She was thrown of by his glance back at her... It seemed playful, almost as if he was toying with her... She shook her head and dismissed the though so she could stay focused on the task at hand. Hiyami and Miyori watched them leave from a nearby rooftop.

"Do you really think Seshoumaru will fight besides us?" The Blood Guard wondered looking at the Matriarch.

"Beside us? No... Against the Banshees? Most definitely. Sesshoumaru was never one to let go of a grudge. The fact that he'll have a second crack at the woman who tried to have him killed is probably is only reason for tolerating this place. I have little doubt he'll leave as soon as we have a led as to where the Queen might be..." The Matriarch replied with both certainty and sadness in her voice.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen: Turning Point?**_

"I sincerely hope that the Banshees aren't stupid enough to try to attack during the dead of winter. They are particularly harsh here in the mountains..." Mitsugaya sighed as she trudged through the snow in the darkness with the still human Inuyasha and a small entourage. Along the way they had found Sango and Miroku again who refused to leave the weakened hanyou alone again. A courier took Shippou and Myoga back to the city though to be with Kagome. The General had the foresight to bring a small group of Blood Clergy with them knowing the destruction of Naraku would have the Banshee Queen's attention.

"Did you know that the Banshee's ruler was capable of resurrecting people?" Miroku wondered troubled by the appearance of Naraku to the stage.

"No... We knew little of the origins of the Banshees until very recently with the appearance of defectors who came into contact with sacred relics. They told us about how she absorbs they very souls and essences of her victims and binds them to her forever. As far as we could ascertain the Banshees are rogue demons from the Netherworld that latched on to corpses and took them on to that realm. Somehow they expanded that power and entered our world by latching on and absorbing any energy source." Mitsugaya explained troubled by the new twisted in events as well.

"If she came from the Netherworld then I suppose it's possible she still has a link to it. That link could grant her the ability to absorb souls and revive the bodies of those souls." Sango commented as she walked beside Kilala. The nekomako carried a less than enthusiastic Inuyasha to keep the shoeless human out of the snow.

"That's the only logical conclusion to make Sango..." Miroku sighed now even more deeply worried by the situation. He looked down at his hand warily and made sure the prayer beads were still wrapped around it. "I think it's safe to assume that Naraku will be back soon then if his soul is bound to Her..." He added shuttering slightly.

"I believe that is correct. But I think from the tales you've told us that he has no intention of serving her either. What other reason would he have to so boldly enter our city and seek the Jewel?" Mitsugaya interjected pensively as she set her gaze on the mountain before them. "I think in this case, 'The enemy of my enemy' won't be a friend..." She added sighing sadly. She glanced back at Inuyasha who seemed deep in thought though his features did little to let on what he was thinking.

"If Naraku really isn't gone would that count as defeating a Banshee with the new form of Tetsusaiga?" He wondered as he gazed out at the dark scenery but didn't really see any of it, his mind was elsewhere. "I hope that this Demon Soul thing will accept me now and that it's as powerful as everyone thinks... I really think this is over my head! A demon that can resurrect our enemies? How powerful is she really then?" He shook his head briefly. "I have to keep becoming stronger! Everyone is counting on it! I don't want to let Kagome down... What we do today could mean life or death for her family and friends in her time... I never realized how important that was until she said something about it..." The hanyou started talking out loud without even realizing it. "Since she's really not from this time... if something happens now that changes time what will happen to her?" No one who knew anything about Inuyasha and his group really needed to ask what he was talking about. They knew who was weighing on his mind and the mention of such things brought similar thoughts to the forefront of their minds as well.

"Have faith Inuyasha-dono... Have faith in our collective strength and our ability to overcome all obstacles together... Your Father always got so mad when people tried to bare the weight of the world on their shoulders... The first fight with the Banshee Queen he got so mad at us when we jumped the wall without him..." Mitsugaya mused with a slight smile. "He yelled at us for days... 'FOOLS! You could have been killed!'" She laughed and shook her head. "He knew that even he couldn't defeat her alone... With all his power and his Tenesaiga she would have killed him easily if he were alone."

"I can't deny I'm jealous when you tell stories about him." Inuyasha whispered sadly as he focused his attention on his surroundings.

"I don't understand why... You're just like him!" She beamed warmly as she stopped and looked at him directly. "You're his determination and loyalty and so many of his endearing qualities!" As she spoke, for just an instant she saw the former Daiyoukai sitting in front of her staring back. "Just like him..." She whispered turning and walking on again. "He's always with you... you might not notice it but he's there..." Inuyasha looked at her strangely for a moment then looked down at the sword tethered to his side. He nodded slowly and a slight smile crept across his face.

- - - - As the Dog Demons draw close to the volcano something wicked brews in the lair of the Banshee... - - - -

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I knew that the energy required to pull you out of Hell would be well spent!" The Queen of Darkness cackled as she straddled Naraku's waist and licked the side of his face. "Beautiful... exquisite... You will be a perfect King for my beautiful new world!" She screeched biting his neck and sucking some of his energy away. She pulled away and sprang up leaving him bewildered and bleeding. "Now all you have to do to secure you position is to bring me the Shikon no Tama!!!" She beamed spinning around and leaning in close to him. She kissed and licked him again before spinning away again and laughing maniacally.

"I'm not exactly sure where I teleported it too Mistress... I'll need a holy being capable of detecting its energy to narrow the search down." Naraku replied wiping his neck and face dry as he stood up.

"What do you mean you don't know where it is?" The Queen seethed as her happy-go-lucky demeanor completely faded. "What kind of idiot teleports something that valuable to a random location?" She hissed turning around very slowly and spying him with malicious eyes burning with anger.

"Understand the circumstances Mistress... I was in a rush to keep it from disappearing from this world completely..." His gracious and beseeching tone did nothing to satiate the enraged Banshee. With an outstretched hand she drew energy from him at an alarming rate causing him to drop to his knees.

"Make no mistake wretch... I own you... DO NOT fail me again or the putrid strain you call a soul will wash away forever with me! You would do well to not fail me again or die again if you cherish it! Each time you do a piece of that putrid soul dissolves forever! Now go and fetched the damn miko and find the jewel!" She seethed returning the energy to the nearly end Naraku before turning and storming away. The very ground beneath her feet burned and crumbled as she walked away. Naraku got to his feet and eyed her maliciously as she left.

"That's right sit upon your high throne Mistress but your day will come soon enough... Once I have the jewel I'll consume your essence and all your power!" He smiled as the thought of his victory gave him solace.

"Incompetant fool... Having spawned attachments of his own you would think he'd know better..." The Banshee Queen mused to herself as an amused look drew itself upon her face. "He doesn't realize I know everything about him... past and present... His every thought becomes common knowledge to me... Let him plot... He knows not the true depths of my power."- -

- - - - The city sleeps but a select few lay awake, puzzled and disturbed by unseen forces. - - - -

"You can't sleep either Kagome-san?" Hiyami wondered as she walked up and sat down next to him. Together they looked out into the central cloister of the temple and watched the snow fall. "What's bothering you?" He wondered as he pulled her blanket up and wrapped it tight around her shoulders.

"I know this shouldn't be possible but I'm almost positive I sense the Shikon no Tama still. I wished it away... Is it possible Naraku somehow got a hold of it first?" She was obviously very disturbed by the very thought of Naraku having the completed jewel as she looked over at Hiyami.

"Considering his revival from the dead and his capabilities I wouldn't doubt that at all... I underestimated him and he almost got me..." Hiyami sighed long and slow before turning and looking at Kagome. "Can you determine where it might be?" He wondered looking at her with a less serious look. She shook her head no.

"It's just a very vague feeling. I'm still too weak to focus on it very well." She replied sounding very disappointed as she looked away ashamed.

"Awe please don't look so down on yourself. You almost died today! You shouldn't be ashamed that you're not one hundred percent this quickly..." He put a hand on hers and grasped it gently. "If it's strength you need have some of mine." He mused with a slight smile as she looked at him confused. She opened her mouth to speak but he just put his free hand to her mouth and shushed her gently. He closed his eyes as he took her other hand in his. "Do you trust me Kagome-san?" He wondered quietly without opening his eyes. Her face was perplexed as she pulled away slightly. He chuckled and smiled widely. "I'm not going to make a move on you Kagome-san... In order for this to work you have to trust me! I'm not going to hurt you..." He said after his laughter faded away. "If it makes you feel better I without a doubt trust you with my life... If you allow me to do this I'll be putting my life in your hands quite literally."

"What do you mean?" She sounded and looked utterly mortified.

"Once this ritual starts I'll be transferring my energy to you willingly. After that it's up to you to stop the ritual before it kills me." He stopped when he heard her gasp and pull away even more. "If the jewel is out there we have to get it before she does... You can do it Kagome-san..." His voice was an odd combination of strength and gentility that put her at ease slowly. She let her tenseness settle away and she returned to a comfortable sitting position looking at him pensively.

"What do I have to do?" She wondered after taking a deep breath.

"Just close your eyes and trust me. If you're receptive you should feel stronger very quickly. When you're ready to stop just let go of my hands." He replied with a happy expression. She took another deep breath as she closed her. True to his word, after a few seconds she felt an almost overwhelming strength flood into her. It bewildered her at first and it took her moment to gather her thoughts and focus. As she did it slowly became easier to sense the power of the jewel and follow it to the source. She gasped as it became clear where it was...

"Onigumo's cave!" She gasped allowed as her eyes sprang open. The sight that met her frightened her and made her jump. Before her very eyes Hiyami's life seemed to be draining away through his hands to her. She gasped again as she yanked her hands away breaking his grip on them and falling backwards. He slumped over into her lap breathing heavily for a moment.

"Did you find it?" He wondered breathlessly as she looked down at him apprehensively.

"Yes..." She replied quietly as she leaned forward and patted his head gently. "I'm sorry you had to do that..." She added regretfully. He pushed himself up and looked at her with a smile.

"Where is it?" He wondered getting up very slowly.

"You seriously want to go get it looking like that?" She wondered as she took his outstretched hand and let him help her to her feet. As she became upright he wobbled and little but used her to steady himself.

"I'll be fine in just a minute..." He assured her but she wasn't convinced.

"I swear all the men of this tribe are exactly alike! Rash, stubborn, and hard-headed!" She fumed sliding under his arm and holding him up though he didn't put any weight on her. "Too bad you don't come with an enchanted collar..." She groaned as he pulled away from her.

"Inuyasha-dono's necklace?" He wondered with a sly smirk. "I wondered about that..." Before she knew what was happening Kagome felt her feet leave the ground and the cold air rushed around her. She looked down and saw buildings rush past her. Hiyami landed on the outer wall and wrapped her up in the blanket better.

"So which direction?" Was all he said with a playful smile as he eyed Kagome's angry countenance. She relegated herself to the fact that she wouldn't be able to keep him from going as she sighed.

"Almost due east but it's a very long way off." Her voice was cautionary as she spoke but that didn't matter to Hiyami. He sat her down long enough to wrap her up in the blanket better then scooped her up and made for the east. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She grasped from the cold and the queasiness of the sudden and dramatic increase in speed.

"No Banshees have been seen anywhere near the city in almost two weeks with the exception of that defector you found." He soothed but she was still tense and uneasy. It took the rest of the night and part of the morning to reach the cave where Kikyou had nursed Naraku as a human. Sure enough though, there in the dirt at the back of the cave was the Shikon Jewel.

"I can't believe of all places he teleported it here..." She whispered as she dusted it off and looked it over. It became apparent that in his haste, Naraku failed to teleport the whole of the jewel to that one place. Upon realizing this, Kagome gasped and looked at Hiyami fearfully. Her fear was compunded by the sight of Naraku behind Hiyami. "LOO K OUT!!!" She screamed and pointed but it was too late, one of Naraku's vile tentacles shot through Hiyami's torso and grabbed the jewel fragment.

"I knew I could count on you heroic antics to lead me right to the Shikon no Tama..." He mused as Hiyami fell to the ground in a bleeding mass. With blank eyes he looked up at the miko.

"Run..." He whispered but instead Kagome screamed in terror and started to rush to him. Before she could reach the fallen demon she was grabbed by the bloody tentacle instead.

"Now you'll lead me to the missing piece..." He jeered in a low and taunting tone as he pulled her in uncomfortably close.

"Let go of me..." The miko hissed refusing to look him in the eye. He simply laughed and turned to walk away with her still trapped. "Let... go... of.. me..." The crystallized dirt around her neck started to glow an intense blue spreading blue flames around her entire body. The burning sensation caused the Banshee to look back at her in shock and soon after drop her from the pain.

"What is this?" He gasped as the blue flames continued to grow around her. A voice seemed to murmur in the air from a disembodied voice but what it was saying was unclear at first. As the flames grew in intensity it became clear.

"My will is strong... My will is unshakable... My will is to protect that which I hold dear... My will is strong... My will is unshakable... My will gives me strength... My will is strong... My will is unshakable... My will be the death of you..." Kagome slowly got to her feet and as she did the Shikon fragment in Naraku's hand began to shake violently. The tighter he clutched it the harder it was to hold until eventually it shot clean through his hand. Unfortunately an unseen entity intercepted it before it got to Kagome.

"It seems you were valuable indeed... You found another fragment of the Old Goddess of the West for me..." The Banshee Queen cackled as she landed above the cave. "Have fun trying to fight that one... The Will of the Goddess is a nasty one!" She cheered before disappearing. The momentary distraction was just enough for Kagome to unleash the power that had slept inside her for so long and turn the third incarnation of Naraku to dust and a rush of blue flames. As her sense returned she spun around and rushed to Hiyami's side. She was sure her was dead as tears streamed down her face. To her shock, his wound were already healing as a strange white glow gripped him.

Back in the city:

Miyori let out a blood curdling scream of pain as she fell to her knees. "HIYAMI!!!" She screamed rolling on the ground in agony as she gripped her stomach. A strange white glow came over her as she became immediately and eerily calm. "Hi...ya...mi..." A crowd grew around her and the Elder rushed to her side.

At the same time:

Mitsugaya stopped immediately in her tracks causing Miroku to bump into her. "Is something wrong?" He wondered stepping up and looking at her squarely. He gasped when he noticed her wide-eyed look and blood flowing out of her slightly agape mouth. She coughed causing blood to fly out as she dropped to her knees. Blankly she looked forward as more blood dripped from under her armor.

"Hi... ya...mi..." She whispered as an eerie white glow crept over her body. The glow lasted for several minutes. Before it faded all of the blood she had lost slowly started flowing back into her body. She eventually blinked a few times and the glow faded completely.

"What the Hall was that all about?" Inuyasha wondered picking her up gruffly. He was more angry about his feeling of worry than the suddenness of the episode.

"When we were very young Our Lady taught Mi-chan a very powerful and special rite before she was even in the running to be a Blood Clergy." Mitsugaya explained very slowly as she sat down on the ground completely. "She was instructed to only use it in league with people she trusted dearly. She chose Hiyami and I and on the day the Banshees attacked... We sealed ourselves together with that rite. If one of us gets hurt the other two absorb part of the injuries allowing the injured to heal. We can't break the rite and if between the three of us we become too weak... we'll all die..."

"That's why Miyori-chan was so set on becoming stronger!" Sango gasped bending down next to the Blood Guard.

"Part of it yes... She wanted to ensure she wouldn't be the cause of injury to Hiyami or myself..." Mitsugaya nodded as she spoke.

"And that explains why Hiyami seemed to be in great pain when you and Miyori-chan tried transferring her power as the Matriarch!" Miroku chimed in with understanding in his voice. Again she nodded.

"Let's keep going..." She said after another moment as she pulled herself up and slowly moved forward again.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hiyami?" Kagome sobbed as she watched his spilt blood recede back into his body. She warily reached out and touched his back gently. She could feel the huge hole healing and closely at an alarming rate as the blood disappeared. As the wound closed completely he gasped deeply and started coughing. She burst into tears and collapsed on his heaving chest as he regained the ability to breath normally.

"I'm sorry I made you worry..." He coughed as he rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "Now she has the Shikon Jewel fragment." He was clearly disheartened by his failure to protect her and the fragment.

"The jewel is useless to her without the other half. If we can find it first we can at least keep her from being able to use it to become stronger." Kagome was determined now as she pulled Hiyami up and took his hand. She pulled him out of the cave and toward the forest as fast as she could run. "If I know Naraku I know where the other half is." She stopped in the middle of the field and looked around. "Can you sense the Banshee Queen anywhere?" She whispered leaning in close to Hiyami. He looked around with great intensity as he search for even the faintest glimmer of the Banshee Queen, he felt nothing.

"No... She's not around here... Nor are any others of her kind." He replied as she bolted off again. He couldn't help but smile because her of determination that had been bruised by her near death encounter. That encounter now seemed to only fuel her desire to succeed in finding this fragment of the shard. He could now see the attraction Inuyasha had to her, she was strong and true to herself and her good nature. She's a good ally to have and he was certainly glad he could count her among his.

- - - - - - - - - -

As Inuyasha and his entourage reached the summit of the volcano a familiar voice started floating around in the air. "I don't have time for this!" The hanyou yelled impatiently causing everyone to look at him oddly. "Just tell me if you're going to give me the Demon Soul or not! Kagome's in danger!" A ghostly figure appeared suddenly, startling the group.

"Kagome's life is in no danger. The aspect of the Goddess of the West which she possesses is now awakened..." The figure replied with a smile.

"Kagome-san possesses an aspect of the Goddess?" Mitsugaya gasped but everyone else just looked confused.

"Kagome possesses the Will of the Goddess just as Miyori possesses the Heart and I possess the Soul. Among you walks the Mind and Compassion. Somewhere near to you lies the Strength and Malice..." The ghost explained as she turned and looked out over the forest. "Though you didn't succeed in destroying the Shikon no Tama... you fully intended to do so..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS NOT GONE! THAT RAT NARAKU!" Inuyasha fumed clenching both fists as if he would strike something. When he found nothing appropriate to hit he threw them to his side in frustration.

"Be calm... Though half the jewel is lost the other half is safe and sound in the hands of the one called Kagome. You have passed my tests and as promised I give you the Demon Soul of the West Inuyasha..." As she spoke a red jewel like the Shikon no Tama emerged from her chest. She beckoned the hanyou to her and he slowly drew near to her. "Call upon the power of this relic wisely... Just like the Heart it can destroy you if you seek to use too much of its power." She added as she turned and stretched the jewel out to him. "And under no circumstance should you allow her to take this from you..." Inuyasha nodded then slowly reached out and took the jewel. As he touched it, it dissolved and the dust formed shot into his chest. Without the jewel to bind her to the world of the living, the priestess that had served as the Banshee Queen's pet for so many years, was finally able to rest.

"Well it seems we were wrong then in our thought that the Demon Soul would save Miyori from the 'curse.'" Mitsugaya sighed a little disheartened.

"As long as I have this thing I'm going to use it... And maybe if I learn to use it without it killing me she won't have to use her power." Inuyasha answered as he walked back to the group. The Blood Guard cheered up significantly from his words.

"Perhaps it will save her after all..."

Meanwhile:

"He really is acting more like Onigumo than Naraku... I wonder why that is..." Kagome whispered confused as she rubbed her fingers over the other shard of the Shikon no Tama. The fragment was buried in the sacred tree Inuyasha had been sealed in. In fact, it was embedded where the very arrow that had sealed the hanyou came to rest.

"What is the significance of this place to him?" Hiyami wondered as he scratched the chunk of wood carefully out so as to do as little damage as possible.

"Onigumo fell in love with a priestess named Kikyou who lived at the temple near here. She was the original guardian of the Shikon no Tama. She fell in love with Inuyasha and in a jealous fit he mortally wounded Kikyou and tricked her into sealing Inuyasha to this tree..." Kagome explained as she took the fragment from him.

"So this place would stick out in his mind as a place that gave him joy when his plan worked." Hiyami commented with a nod of understanding. "I assume the cave had a similar significance." Kagome nodded and the two began the long trek back to the home city of the Dog demons. The miko pondered stopping to see the old priestess but quickly decided she couldn't risk the town's safety.

"Let's go back now... Are you up to it?" Hiyami nodded and picked her up before taking off with no less speed than he was capable of.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fifteen: Aspects and Avatars**_

"Do you know anything about Aspects of the Goddess?" Mitsugaya wondered looking at the Elder hopefully. "The spirit mentioned several... I just thought that the Demon Soul was the only relic that existed."

"There was a legend that spoke of ancestors of the original inhabitants of these lands being given parts of the Goddess in order to protect themselves from danger. We attributed this as youki for demons and holy powers for humans. The Demon Soul was the 'aspect' specifically mentioned and thus the only one we sought to gain. Texts recovered from very old settlements deep in the mountains mentioned something about inheritance of the aspects to the worthy. We thought that was referring to why some demons are stronger than others and why not all humans have holy prowess. Given what this spirit said it seems as though it could be a much more literal sense we are dealing with." The Elder explained as he watched the smoke of the fire rise and disappear. "From your description of Kagome's aspect it maybe that the Demon Soul is the only tangible one..."

"Do you think that in order to defeat the Banshee Queen we'll have to find everyone of the aspects?" Kagome wondered looking down at her own hands, remembering what they did to Naraku so quickly.

"I can not be certain that is the case. I think it is a safe assumption to make that the Daiyoukai possessed an aspect and we now know that Miyori possesses an aspect. Their combined power almost killed her." The elder started but he shook his head. "She'll be expecting an attack this time... She'll be waiting for it..."

"With out a doubt she will try to single out and eliminate each known aspect by themselves. The more of the aspects we can find the better our chances." Miyori picked up where he had left off. "The spirit said that they were all near or close to us already...That must mean we know all the possessed but their power is not yet awakened."

"You may be right in that notion... But..." Hiyami seemed very worried by the thought of gathering all the aspects of the Goddess in one place. "Is there not also a legend of how the world came to be and how the power of all the deities together continuously destroyed everything they created? Did they not destroy themselves for the sake of their creations? Would bringing all the aspects of the goddess together not be the same as her being alive?" He added obviously very worried about the consequences of attempting to wield such power.

"I think another thing to consider is... Should we as lesser beings even aspire to wield the power of a Goddess? Even divided amongst several beings is it really our place to do something like that?" Sango seemed troubled by this as much as Hiyami was troubled by his fears.

"These are all things we will have to consider... I feel like the best course of action right now is to continue our preparations and training. I think it's clear we can't force these aspects to awaken anyways... It's possible another one won't awaken before the Banshee Queen attacks. We can't rely on them." Miroku interjected bringing up a point that they all agreed on. With that being said, the Elder and Miyori continued to discuss what had already been done and what they could improve upon in order to prepare for a possible attack. Mitsugaya and Hiyami ventured forth to check in on the wolf tribe and Inuyasha and his group went to check in on Banshee defectors. Several had been picked up besides Yukari in the las few days and were being brought to the city.

That left Sesshoumaru who had been conspicuously absent for several days from the populous. He had taken up residence in the house of the Daiyoukai and was thoroughly enjoying the solitude. Rin was thoroughly enjoying playing with the servants of the house, all of which marveled that she was a ward of the Demon Lord. Their whispers weren't lost on him but they were valueless. He simply ignored the lot of them concept when he wanted food or a hot bath. In truth his training with Miyori had left him rather taxed if for no other reason than her sheer incompetence. Even now he couldn't undo the scars and doubts his Father had placed upon her and it was nigh maddening. He was feeling up to venturing forth and prying the rest of her demonic nature out soon... tomorrow perhaps... But this time he wouldn't hold back... It was obvious she couldn't die at his hand and she wouldn't let him die regardless of how mad he made her. That combination made a slight smirk creep across his face. He was looking forward to seeing how far he would be able to push her before she would give in to her hate this time...

Morning dawned with the haze of fog and gray clouded skies. An eerie clam and quiet had settled over the West the last few weeks and the silent forest seemed to seethe with contention. It wasn't going to be good if the weather was an indication of the rest of the day. At least it wouldn't be a good day unless you were a Banshee or under the protection of the great barrier. Sure enough an ill omen surfaced in the form of a near dead messenger on the mountain of the central dog city.

"I come from the North... We are the Chosen of the Northern deity..." A scaled Demon closely resembling a merman gasped as he collapsed to his knees before Miyori. "The Banshees were cutting a path of destruction through our Tribe when I left... We have no defense against them and they have surely fallen by now... They will have taken the Demon Soul of the North..." He looked deeply pained and distraught as he spoke. His tone and expression only solidified the direness of the situation. What he said next though was the most devastating. "Our scouts discovered just before they arrived in our territory that the Chosen of the East and the South suffered a similar fate... This is the only tribe standing in the way of Her plot to lay waste to this world..." He lacked the strength of body or spirit to continue on, with his task complete he passed on. The death of this comrade before her eyes infuriated Miyori to a point not even Mitsugaya and Hiyami had seen.

"Burn... Burn... I'LL MAKE HER BURN FOR THIS!" At that point she could be stopped, logic meant nothing to her. She had one goal now and it was pretty obvious what that was.

"Miyori where are you going?" Mitsugaya soothed trying to get grip on her friend and stop her.

"I believe she is going to seek the last tool at our disposal if she has seen the same dream I have..." The Elder sighed disheartened as he shoved his staff in her chest and made her stop. "I doubt that with two Demon Soul's under her dominion that even the relic you would seek could help us."

"So you would have me do nothing in the face of annihilation? I think not? I'm going to get it and you're not going to stop me!" She seethed smacking the staff down and shattering it.

"Even if you could get to it... You wouldn't have the power to wield it!" He added grabbing her arm as he attempted to stop her again.

"I'm not the one who's going to use it... I'm going to find the Avatar of the Goddess... They're the only one who can use it... But until I figure out who they are I have to at least get it." She replied only marginally calmer than she had been.

"Avatar?" The Elder now joined everyone else in the ranks of confusion.

"Yes... The one who will combine the power of all the Aspects and wield the sacred power of the Goddess. The only one who can use Her Halberd of Burning Souls..." She explained pulling herself free and continuing on again.

"I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about but I'm coming with you..." Hiyami called as he ran up next to her.

"Me too..." Mitsugaya added joining at her other side.

"You're not leaving me behind! If Banshees attack I can practice using the new form of Tetsusaiga on them!" Inuyasha chimed in and he had his entourage raced to catch up.

"Based on how long it was between the last sighting and this messenger's arrival I'd say we have three days to get this weapon and get back before they attack. That assumed they come right here and make a direct attack." Miroku decided after a little consideration as they made their way deep into the forest heading up the mountain.

"They won't..." Miyori commented mostly in passing as she trudged in ankle deep snow up the steep incline. "Not with Sesshoumaru and Tenesaiga still there. Plus they have no scouts in the area to know we have left. She will seek to lure us out or weaken our defenses before making a direct attack."

"I would tend to agree... Especially if she still has a tactician like Naraku around. I would think she would take sometime to try to gain his ability to pass through the barrier." Mitsugaya added stoically as she gave Kagome a gentle pulled up over a rock.

"Besides... If she's in possession of a Shikon fragment Kagome would be able to sense her coming... From a good ways off given its size I dare say..." Hiyami mused pulling Sango and Miroku over the same larger rock.

"That's not very reassuring..." Kagome admitted with a sigh as she stopped to catch her breath a minute. Not wanting to be slowed down Inuyasha slid backwards down the hill and scooped her up on his back. The act annoyed her but she had grown very tired from the sheer trek and would hate to slow them down herself.

"How much further do we have to go?" Sango wondered a little winded herself.

"Not much further... There should be a cave near the top of the mountain next to the stream." Miyori replied pointing to the stream that continued to grow smaller the high up they went. Sure enough after another few minutes of hiking a cave opening half covered in ice appeared. With a little force they were able to enter the cave only to lose the glimmer of hope that finding it had given them. The caverns the cave led to were huge and sprawled into darkness before them. Hiyami lit a pair of torches he insisted they get as part of their supplies before leaving and they headed in.

"This is going to take a long time!" Kagome sighed after they had followed one rocky corridor all the way to the end. "But we could get lost if we split up..." She added following the arrows Mitsugaya had been cutting into the rock as they went to keep them from getting lost.

"If I had imagined the tomb of a goddess this definitely isn't what I would have thought of..." Miroku said looking at the water worn stone walls of the cavern.

"You know of the tales?" Mitsugaya wondered a bit impressed.

"Only fragmented bits and pieces I fashioned a basic understanding from..." He replied truthfully as he looked around the large room of the cavern. "You aren't able to help narrow down the search at all Miyori?"

"Unfortunately no... the vision flashed from the cave entrance to the weapon." The Matriarch replied sadly as she stood in the middle of the expansive room and looked down the two remaining corridors. "But maybe the remnant I possess could help me find it..." She gasped in sudden realization as she got to her knees and closed her eyes. She focused her thoughts on the weapon and tried to call forth the ancient power inside of her. The collar around her neck quickly protested and shocked her harshly. She sighed defeated knowing that if she removed the collar and lost control now it would only prove to be detrimental to their cause.

"Do you think I could do it?" Kagome wondered doubtfully as she placed a hand gently on the Blood Priestess's shoulder.

"You do seem to have much better control over your Aspect than Miyori does..." Hiyami commented in passing as he shifted the torch he was carrying to his other hand.

"If you would like..." Miyori replied with a smile as she stood up. Kagome nodded and closed her eyes trying to focus on the weapon in question. Before long the blue trinket she had fashioned started to glow and shake. After another few moments it shot off her neck and down the far left corridor. "Very well done Kagome-san!" The demoness beamed jogging off towards the corridor. The crystal was floating in the air as if waiting to lead them on to their destination. After what seemed like hours, at last the crystal lost its glow and dropped to the ground. The room it came to rest in was huge and the light from the two torches they carried barely lit a portion of it. It was very cold and drafty which led them to believe it was open to the outside. With that thought in mind they rested at the opening of the room until daylight could better help them explore. As the first beams of day poured into the cave their objective became clear, it was perched in the hands of a giant skeleton... and it was huge...

"Someone is really supposed to wield something like that? How the Hell are we supposed to get that thing out of here?" Inuyasha jeered taking a step warily toward the towering corpse.

"Maybe it's enchanted and will get slower when we touch it." Sango offered making a similar move forward. "I doubt a deity would put so much thought into protecting her claim and then leave a weapon to large to use..."

"Sango's probably right..." With that thought in mind, the group slowly and cautiously crossed the narrow rock bridge to a platform in front of the weapon. As Inuyasha and Hiyami brought up the rear the bridge shattered in the middle. With lightning fast reflexes Inuyasha grabbed the edge of the rock and Hiyami hand simultaneously. Hiyami jumped off the bottom of the bridge and flipped up onto its surface. As he pulled Inuyasha up and the halberd started to react. The pair joined the rest of the group in looking at it and as Miyori reached out to touch it something unusual happened. A red beam shot through her, paralyzing her and pierced through Inuyasha and into Hiyami. As the light penetrated Inuyasha it sucked the Demon Soul out of him hurtled it into Hiyami. At the same time something sucked out of Hiyami and into Inuyasha...

"Av...a...tar..." The Blood Guard whispered pointing wide-eyed as his hand twitched. That being said the halberd exploded and shot through the beam collecting in Tetsusaiga. The trio collapsed as if the beam had been holding them upright and its disappearance left them without legs to stand on.

"That wasn't weird at all..." Kagome muttered rushing to the hanyou and helping him sit up. Sango and Miroku did the same for Miyori as Mitsugaya tended to her brother. "At least we don't have to look for the avatar anymore..." She added eying the fang before turning her attention back to Inuyasha.

"That's all well and good but how are we supposed to get out of here now?" Miroku wondered noticing the divide between them and the way they had come had widened considerably. "I don't think even a demon could jump that easily much less carrying someone..." He had barely finished the notion when they found themselves floating in the air. A moment later they were sitting in the middle of the koi pond the temple kept in the main city.

"I sought as much literature as I could on the weapon but truthfully have nothing to show for my efforts... There is no mention of the Goddess wielding anything other than sheer power in the legends and divinations..." The Elder commented after the travelers had time to dry off and eat. "The fact that it took a form you would be comfortable using is remarkable foresight on the part of Goddess I must say." He beamed looking up at the night sky that peeked in from a slightly ajar door. His glee quickly faded as he turned back to them with a grim expression. "I can only hope the power it can garner will counteract that of the Banshee Queen... She is far more powerful than when she was banished the first time."

"We have far more weapons at are disposal as well though... Pray as you do it best... for strength in the days to come." Miyori sighed leaning backwards and staring at the ceiling. "High hopes and low expectations make life enjoyable without crushing one's soul..." She muttered closing her eyes.

"That's a morbid sentiment..." Kagome squirmed as she spoke because she knew it applied beautifully for their situation.

"She traded me being her avatar for me carrying her soul?" Hiyami thought to himself as he pushed some cold food around with a chop stick. He let out a long sigh and tried to build himself back up. "She said the avatar would be the best suited at the time and I guess now that is Inuyasha... I will strive to use this new gift she has given me to my fullest." Miyori's unwavering optimism, though it had been shaken in recent days, had rubbed off on him. Having Kagome around only made it stronger as well.

"Come on! Everyone cheer up! Tomorrow could be the best day of our lives!" Miyori beamed bolting back up and smiling. "Things are already looking up! The Goddess has blessed us and is clearly helping us! We can do this!" She added clapping her hands.

- Just as all wasn't well in the world of the living, the forceful removal of souls from the Afterlife had caused a stir... -

"Taishou!" A dog demon shouted as he ran up to the deceased Daiyoukai. "We have discovered a weakness in the Banshee Queen! She is bound to a pact with the Lord of the Underworld! If someone living were to learn her true name the pact would be broken and her power lost!" He gasped with a wicked grin.

"You know it don't you?" The Taishou had long ago become familiar with his General's body language. "Tell me and then I shall end the power preventing her from drawing me out as she so adamantly desires to do..."

"Are you sure it is wise to allow her to possess you in such a way? With her power having grown so great it may not be as easy for you break her grasp as it was for Naraku..." The General warned having learned his master's plan.

"I am far more powerful even in death than that filth... And far more cunning..." He smirked and turned his back to the demon. "She wants the Jewel... And I can get it easily... The barrier can not reject its creator..."

"And once you have the shard it will cleanse you and you can tell them her true name!" The General interjected obviously amused by the smiplicity and yet brilliance of the plan.

"I'm glad we understand each other... Now what is her true name?" The Daiyoukai turned is attention back to his General.

"Kariahoutel..." The General whispered leaning in the the Taishou. A moment later a devastating attack opened a portal to Hell beneath him and started to suck him in.

"I have no stomach for games... Or dopplegangers of the Lord of this world..." He smirked darkly as he watched the painful attack consume its victim slowly. "I always did wonder what that attack would do to someone already in Hell... How deliciously assuming that it would tear your very soul apart..."

"You'll never know her true name!" The wretched creature gasped with a smile.

"Vishkalyasenka... The Banshee Queen... will die at the hands of my tribe... Or way or another my progeny will finish what I was too weak too..." The grin faded from the beast and took up position on the Taishou's face his the soul of the real General of his armies walked up behind him.

"It seems our enemies hunt us down even in death my Lord."

"It would seem so..."


	16. Chapter 16

_**The unnecessary and overly long summary!**_

Miyori, the hanyou niece of the Inu no Taishou has become the Matriarch of the Dog Demon clan in the wake of one of the Taishou's most powerful enemies returning to the world. Now she has gathered Inuyasha and company along with Sesshoumaru in the capital city to defend not only the clan but the world from the malice of the Banshee Queen, an empowered nether-demoness. In order to defeat her they seek the Demon Soul of the West, the soul of the goddess who gave birth to all demon clans of the West. With one Demon Soul in their possession they discover the Banshee Queen is Resurrecting and empowering all their old foes, including Naraku! Not only that she's obtained two Demon Souls of her own! In a last ditch effort our heroes seek out and obtain the Goddess' sacred halberd and discover Inuyasha is her chosen avatar! What could possibly go wrong next? Never EVER ask what else could possibly go wrong...

_**Chapter Sixteen: Return of the Taishou...**_

"COWER!!! COWER IN FEAR AT THE POWER I POSSESS!!!" The Banshee Queen gloated wildly as she gasped and heaved. "Now even my greatest enemy bows at my feet like a proper dog!" She gleamed petting the top of the Taishou's head briskly. With blank eyes he stared at the ground in front of her feet and said nothing. "With this youkai and his power I shall bring down the barrier which can not be broken and crush the Dog demons clan! Nothing can stop me now that I possess these two Demon Souls! NARAKU! The hanyou appeared obediently at her side and knelt. "Take this shard of the Shikon no Tama and finish the stone once the barrier is down. Kill the miko and then destroy it to prove your loyalty to me. We have no use for it now that I have two of the three Demon Souls of this world..."

"As you wish my Lady..." He replied trying to hide his smile as she deposited the sundered shard in his hand.

"Take the Taishou with you and unleash his fury upon his own kind... I shall relish watching this from afar..." She ordered sitting down on her blackened rock throne and looking out over her horde in the caves. "Soon are time will come... The hour of our ascension as rulers of this world is nigh... Go forth and destroy it all! Make this world a beautiful place for us to rule over!" With a terrible scream they disappeared into the growing night followed closely by Naraku and the mindless Taishou.

"Soon my hour of ascension will be at hand my lady... And everything you have strive for will become mine..." The hanyou smirked to himself as he walked out of the cave and glanced up at the waxing moon. "You are a fool..."

"What a fool that Naraku was in life and in death..." The Banshee Queen smirked to herself as she stroked the top of her pet's head. "The Shikon Shard will purify his body and with it all his power I have given him... He'll be a sitting target and that will end his existence permanently... History shall never again know the name of Naraku which tried to betray the supreme Empress of the world..." Her dark smile foreshadowed the future to come for minion she loathed. He had help her to gain half of the Shikon no Tama and with it in the hands of an abducted priestess she was able to overrun the other Chosen Clans. For that she owed him at least a tragically beautiful pursuing his own selfish ends.

"He would have made a fitting King for milady had he not his treacherous ways... Even towards a vastly superior being such as yourself..." The pet muttered with a cunning smile as the hanyou and the Taishou disappeared. "How very unfortunate for him he could not see the infinite advantages of being your faithful pet..."

"Surely the enjoyment of watching him die to the hands of that which baned him so in life will be worth the time it took to wrestle his soul from so deep in Hell..."

"Surely..."

Something in the air made Miyori restless and uneasy. She wandered through the snow filled streets until she happened upon troubled looking Inuyasha. "Is something wrong Inuyasha-dono?" She wondered bowing before him.

"Besides everyone treating me like something I'm not? Tetsusaiga has been acting funny since last night... It keeps rattling and pulsing funny... Like it's reacting to something." He answered directing his attention back to the sky. "I can't feel or smell anything out of place though..."

"Something is amiss though... I have an uneasy feeling myself... But I can't place what that feeling maybe related to." She added as she came and stood next to him. They stood there for several long moments and people passed around them whispering about their strength and how they would protect the city.

"Your sword is giving you trouble as well then?" Sesshoumaru commented noticing how Inuyasha's hand was clenched upon it.

"As well then? So Tenesaiga as well?" The news clearly troubled Miyori and Sesshoumaru seemed none to amused either. "You don't think they're being called... back do you?" She gasped taking a step towards the Daiyoukai.

"If he walks this world they are at his command..." Was all Sesshoumaru said as he turned to walk away. "If you don't wish to see something unpleasant I suggest you stay here..."

"You can't defeat him Sesshoumaru... I don't care how full of yourself you maybe... You will never be as strong as him..." The Matriarch replied with malice as she slowly followed him. "This is something we will have to do together..."

"You think she brought back... My Father?" Inuyasha wondered following after them. It was then that the barrier started to cackle and spark. It was fading before their very eyes and if it fell completely their city would be open to attack. Worse yet, the Banshees would know exactly where they were hiding and could attack at anytime. If this was just the first step in their plan an all out battle could be eminent.

"Without a doubt that is exactly what has happened..." She yelled racing towards the nearest exterior wall. "EVERYONE TO ARMS!!! TO ARMS!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL TO ARMS!!!" She shouted with every ounce of might she had. "Stay here and protect the city Inuyasha! If he gets Tetsusaiga back he'll destroy the whole city in a single blow!" Sesshoumaru disappeared over the wall ahead of her with a look of pure malice on his face. Reluctantly Inuyasha stopped, skidding into the wall. With a clenched fist he slammed his hand into the wall hard and cursed under his breath. He couldn't help but believe her and he couldn't risk his friends for a chance to see his Father again.

"So it seems we meet again Naraku... How despicable that my Father is so weak to be controlled by the likes of you... That is not my Father..." Sesshoumaru seethed as his eye went red and his fangs grew long. The blank eyed Taishou held out his hand and Tenesaiga flew directly into it. Knowing it was useless he tossed it aside for now and prepared to fight his opponents. Without a moment of hesitation Sesshoumaru lunged forward and engaged his Father and the hanyou. As she had predicted, he was fighting a losing battle. Between Naraku's miasma and the sheer power his Father possessed he was quickly overwhelmed and pushed back to Miyori's side.

"Were you not the one who preached to me about know your opponent and attacking there weaknesses... Who bragged that your tactics made you a far superior fighter over Inuyasha... THAT was a very Inuyasha move... BAKA..." She scolded as she rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders and split both arms all the way up. With a mighty heave she thrust both arms into the ground and all the blood soaked into the holes and disappeared. A few moments later great tentacles burst out of the ground and snared both Naraku and the Taishou. "Attack now!" She shouted and Seshoumaru went on the offensive again. The Blood Priestess was cunning in that she wasn't trying to hold them down. She knew Naraku had the Shikon shard and with ease her bloody tendrils stole it back from around his neck. As thoughts of escape distracted him and he broke free the Shard flowed back to the Matriarch through her blood. The tendrils shattered through Sesshoumaru back against the wall but left the Taishou completely open to attack. An opportunity that she couldn't pass up. The Taishou wasn't the only one who could command Tenesaiga and as she flew towards the Taishou the sword shot out of the ground and pinned Naraku to a tree. With every ounce of her strength she shot towards the Taishou and impacted against his youki. It seemed though as she tried to break through and it sent tiny cuts all over her body that she would fail. Begrudgingly she slowly allowed her demonic inheritance to over take her and her eyes turned blood red. "TAISHOU!!!" She screamed as her face contorted into a vaguely canine image. In that moment she broke through just even to jam the Shikon shard into his chest before she was thrown back and almost completely though the thick stone wall. She returned to her human state immediately and almost as quickly the blank stare of the Taishou flickered full of life.

- - - - - - - - - -

"NO NO NO!!!" The Banshee Queen hissed over and over as she watched the Shikon shard severe her tie on the Taishou. "THAT BITCH?! WHAT THE HELL IS SHE?! And why can I sense the Matriarch's power coming from her?! It's too weak to be the Matriarch! The daughter? He didn't have a daughter sis he?! FIND OUT WHO SHE IS AND KILL HER!!!" She eyed her generals maliciously and flailed her arm towards the cave opening. "IF SHE INTERFERES ONE MORE TIME I'll DEVOUR YOUR SOULS COMPLETELY!!!" The Generals disappeared without being told twice lest they incur her wrath. "Die... Bitch..."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sesshoumaru... Miyori..." He muttered as he gained his composure and looked around him. "I came back to tell you something..." He added as he walked over and pulled Tenesaiga from the ailing Naraku and left him to die. He became more erect and quick as he came to completely. With a swipe of the sword Miyori fell out of the wall and started to come to. With the hilt facing his son he handed the sword off and picked Miyori up. Sesshoumaru took the sword and only allowed his father to persist because he knew coming back from the dead wasn't to be taken lightly. Whatever news he had, the new Daiyoukai was sure he could use it to his advantage in slaying the Banshee Queen... alone... Years of dwelling in the Afterlife hadn't dulled his memory at all as he jumped over the wall and raced to the temple. Before he could get there something railed into his side sending him to the ground and Miyori flying up into the air. The attacker caught her and landed on a building over looking the crater he had created out of the Taishou. Wide eyed he gasped as the smoke cleared and the attack met his victim.

"Tai...shou..." Hiyami gasped falling to his knees in shock. The Taishou seemed equally surprised by the speed and force with which Hiyami had nailed him. Or perhaps he was surprised that it had happened before he could even fully sense the approach.

"You've became very strong and fast Hiyami... I was right to pick you to guard over Miyori..." The Taishou smirked as he got up from his kneeling position and dusting himself off.

"Taishou! How foolish we were to think you were dead!" A demon shouted from the crowd.

"The Taishou has returned! The Banshee Queen doesn't stand a chance!" Another shouted as Hiyami jumped down with Miyori and kneeled on the ground before him.

"Please forgive me Taishou I just..." Hiyami stuttered as the elder demon picked up Miyori and started walking up the hill with her.

"You were just doing what I asked you to do... What any good friend would..." Was the only response he received before scampering to his feet to follow. "The Elder... Is it still..."

"You should know I'm too stubborn to ever die..." The Elder replied as the pair crested the stairs at the temple. "So it is as we feared but turned out better than we had hoped... I never thought it would be possible... I never thought I'd see the three of you together alive in one place..." Tears started to pour down his eyes and he tried hard to keep them wiped away. The Taishou opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"Hiyami! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! Miyori and Sesshoumaru went over the wall and then it started to crack! When I got there no one was there!" Inuyasha fumed as he skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs. Everyone turned to look at him and as the tall and stately Taishou turned the hanyou's jaw dropped. "Father..."

"Inuyasha..." The Taishou smiled before turning his attention back to his task. "Please take Miyori to her quarters... Find the miko who has the other half of this shard... it has to come out before it kills this body..." Two apprentice priests did as they were commanded.

"How...?" Was all Inuyasha could think to say as he kept his distance from his Father.

"The Banshee Queen's devilry and Miyori's foolish determination..." Was all the Taishou said as he motioned for all of them to go into the temple. A meal was prepared in honor of the Taishou's return but most people were too excited or anxious to eat.

"This is great Inuyasha!" Kagome squealed as she tugged on his sleeve excited. "You finally have a chance to get to know your Father!"

"Yes! I'm very happy for you Inuyasha!" Miroku chimed in echoing the sentiments Sango felt as well.

"You should stop wasting time! You know as well as I do that you might not get to spend much time with him! This is a precious opportunity!" Shippou scolded bonking Inuyasha on the head.

"I know I know! Shut up all of you!" The hanyou barked back tearing Shippou off his head and dropping him on the floor. "It's just..."

"If he can stay around to fight... He's going to want to fight beside you... Not over you..." Kagome interjected as if she knew exactly what he was feeling. "He's your Father Inuyasha! Not your General..." As she finished her sentence the door to the room flew open and Miyori stood teary eyed looking at the Taishou.

"Taishou..." She whispered running over and throwing her arms around him. "I never got to thank you... For saving my life... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I got you killed..." He just smiled and patted her on the head gently.

"You should eat something..." He mused sitting her down where he had been sitting and standing up. "I'm going to go check on how you've been running things..." He added as he turned to walk away.

"Now's your chance!" Kagome beamed shoving Inuyasha out the door behind the Taishou. Awkwardly he followed behind his Father without saying anything.

"Your friends care about you quite a bit... I'm glad you were able to find such good friends..." The Taishou said at last breaking the awkward silence that had been building between them. "I am sorry that things turned out as they did for you..."

"No I understand... Miyori told me... She still looks at me as if she'd cry sometimes..." Inuyasha interjected shaking his head.

"Are you angry with her?" The elder wondered as he looked around the darkening city from his vantage point at the top of the stairs.

"No... She didn't get kidnapped on purpose... She didn't make you come to save my Mother and I with a serious wound. She told me she would have gladly died healing your wounds if you had let her." The hanyou explained as he stopped a good distance behind his Father.

"I'm glad you understand... I worried many long days in the Afterlife you would grow into a dark and evil creature. Your Mother was a remarkable woman and raised you well. I'm glad for you both. I'm proud of your progress my son... How strong you heart and body have become. I could ask no more from you." Inuyasha looked surprised when his father turned and put an arm around him and they continued the tour. "So tell me about your journey to complete this Shikon no Tama... I want to hear all about it! From the very beginning!"

"You're not at all what I was expecting my Father to be like..." Inuyasha sighed a little disappointed sounding.

"Oh I assure you... I am just as scary and powerful as all the stories you've heard... But I am more than just a power hungry monster..." The Taishou replied with a more serious face.

"Mitsugaya said something similar... She said she could see all your endearing qualities in me."

"You have my impatience... That is certainly true!" The Taishou beamed fluffing his son's hair. "Now tell me about your journey and I'll tell you about mine!" Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief and started from the beginning, the true beginning with Kikyou. "Show me these forms of Tetsusaiga... Barrier breaker... Crystal and Banshee Slayer. Show me what you've learned..." The Taishou mused as he swung open the gates to the training grounds.

"Are you crazy! I can just now keep up with Hiyami without getting my ass kicked... There's no way I'd stand a chance against you..." Inuyasha shook his head and backed away slowly in protest. Before he knew it they were both standing in the middle of the stone lined portion. "How did you..."

"Just one of the many things I can teach you son... Now show me what you've got and don't hold back!"

"Fine! If it's a fight you want then that's what you're going to get!"


End file.
